The granddaughter of a Vietnamese hero explores the enduring legacy of the Vietnam War on her family and country.
The 50-minute documentary 50 Years of Forgetting explores the enduring impact of the Vietnam War on the lives of contemporary Vietnamese. Prompted by a letter from an American veteran, filmmaker Mai Huyen Chi embarks on a personal and national investigation.
Chi’s quest begins by unravelling the story of her war hero grandfather who fought for the winning North, a figure shrouded in family silence. As that soon meets its dissatisfying end, she embarks on a journey across Vietnam and meets people whose lives were shaped by some of the most traumatic events of the war: the Battle of Hue in 1968, the Christmas bombing in 1972 and the fall of Saigon in 1975. Their experiences, filled with both resilience and loss, force Chi to confront her own family’s buried truths. She discovers the story of her aunt married to a pilot on the losing Southern side who fled, highlighting the war’s fracturing impact on Vietnamese families across generations.
The exploration becomes deeply personal. Chi confronts a harsh reality: Her own cousin suffers from the debilitating effects of Agent Orange, a cruel consequence of the war that continues to inflict pain on countless Vietnamese. By weaving these diverse narratives together, 50 Years of Forgetting transcends the Vietnam War to explore universal themes of conflict and its enduring legacies. Will past lessons be forgotten? Can Vietnam build a collective memory that honours the sacrifices of millions of people when those who endured years of brutality during the Vietnam War are trying so hard to forget?
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt Branch, has come out strongly against the conduct of the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd), accusing him of constitutional violations and undermining democratic governance.
In a strongly worded press statement by the Body of Chairmen Rivers State and signed by the 8 Branch Chairmen, the NBA said it was “deeply concerned” by recent developments in the state under the sole administration model imposed following the declaration of a state of emergency.
The lawyers’ body described the continued interference with constitutionally guaranteed structures — including the suspension of elected state officials and recent appointments made by the sole administrator — as unlawful, provocative, and injurious to democratic institutions.
“The Nigerian Bar Association, Port Harcourt Branch, unequivocally condemns the actions of the Sole Administrator, which, in our view, violate the spirit and letters of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” the statement read.
READ ALSO: Refund ₦300m To Rivers To Protect Legal Profession’s Image, Lawyer Tells NBA
A Threat to Democracy?
Illustrative photo of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) and a map of Rivers State
The press release emphasized that the NBA, as a body committed to upholding the rule of law, cannot remain silent while the constitutional order is, in their words, “brazenly disregarded.” It described the ongoing situation as a threat to Nigeria’s democratic experiment, warning that unchecked overreach by appointed administrators could erode public trust in governance and the legal system.
The Bar Association also called attention to the alleged harassment and intimidation of citizens, especially those who have openly criticized the state of emergency or attempted to protest peacefully.
Call for Presidential Intervention
President Bola Tinubu swears in Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as sole administrator for Rivers State in Abuja on March 19, 2025
In what can be interpreted as a direct appeal to President Bola Tinubu, the NBA demanded an immediate review and reversal of the emergency governance framework in Rivers State. The body also urged the reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other duly elected officials, stating that the people’s mandate must not be swept aside under any guise.
“We remind the Federal Government and all relevant institutions that the democratic will of the people is sacrosanct and must be respected,” the NBA said.
Rule of Law Must Prevail
The Association concluded by reiterating its commitment to democratic values, constitutionalism, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. It warned that any attempt to legitimize or normalize administrative actions that override the constitution could set a dangerous precedent for governance across the country.
Astronomers have found the clearest evidence yet that life might exist beyond the solar system, from the atmosphere of a planet 124 light years away from Earth, setting off rare excitement – tinged with caution – in the global scientific community.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers led by astronomers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have found chemical signatures of two compounds that on Earth are only produced by living creatures.
“These are the first hints we are seeing of an alien world that is possibly inhabited,” Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomy professor at Cambridge and the lead researcher behind the discovery, told reporters at a media briefing on April 15. “This is a revolutionary moment.”
So where is the planet that might possibly host life, what evidence have scientists found, and is there reason for scepticism?
Where did the scientists find this evidence?
The researchers relied on data captured by NASA’s James Webb telescope, which was carried into outer space in 2022, and sits about 1.5 million kilometres (930,000 miles) away from Earth, as humanity’s watchtower peering into the universe.
They focused on one particular planet, K2-18b, because it had already shown promising signs as a candidate extraterrestrial body with conditions similar to those on Earth.
K2-18b lies in a constellation called Leo, and is so far away from Earth that a spaceship would need to travel for 124 years at the speed of light to get there. In reality, it would take much, much longer since the laws of physics don’t allow anything other than light to travel that fast.
The planet is 8.6 times heavier than Earth, and 2.6 times as large. Critically, it sits in what is known as the “Goldilocks Zone” of its sun: that’s the region around a star where a planet’s temperature could, in theory, support water in its liquid form on the surface.
In 2023, Cambridge astronomers found methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the planet.
That was the first time that carbon-based molecules had been discovered in the atmosphere of any planet in the habitable zone of its sun – the distance from a sun where it’s neither too hot, nor too cold, and so possible for life to survive. The scientists said that a surface covered first by an ocean, and then a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, would explain the presence of carbon-based molecules. Simply put, it was possible that the planet could have water.
What have the scientists found now?
Researchers have now found much harder evidence suggesting that the planet might not only have the conditions to host life – but could, at least in theory, be hosting life itself.
To explore planets light years away from Earth, scientists wait for them to pass in front of their suns. They study the light from the suns as it streams through the atmospheres of these planets, searching for clues.
That’s how the team found traces of either dimethyl sulfide (DMS) or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) – or both – in the atmosphere of K2-18b.
On Earth, these compounds are only produced by living beings, particularly microbes such as marine phytoplankton. What’s more, what the scientists found suggests that the concentration of these chemicals in the K2-18b atmosphere was thousands of times higher than on Earth.
“It was an incredible realisation seeing the results emerge and remain consistent throughout the extensive independent analyses and robustness tests,” said co-author Mans Holmberg, a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, United States, in a media statement on the Cambridge University website.
A young star cluster known as NGC 602 is seen through the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope [Courtesy of NASA]
How reliable are the findings?
The scientists published their findings in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal Letters publication, which means that other experts in the field who studied their paper found it convincing.
But that does not mean that the scientists have found irrefutable evidence of life. Far from it.
Madhusudhan acknowledged that it is possible that the traces of DMS and DMDS found in the atmosphere of K2-18b are the outcome of chemical phenomena that are as of now, unknown to humanity.
“It’s important that we’re deeply sceptical of our own results, because it’s only by testing and testing again that we will be able to reach the point where we’re confident in them,” Madhusudhan said. “That’s how science has to work.”
His colleagues in the research team agreed.
“Our work is the starting point for all the investigations that are now needed to confirm and understand the implications of these exciting findings,” said co-author Savvas Constantinou, also from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy.
The findings of the Cambridge-led team follow a series of breakthroughs in recent years that have excited scientists about the possibilities of finding life beyond Earth.
In 2011, NASA scientists announced that they had found chemicals that are components of DNA on meteorites that had landed in Antarctica. The chemical traces they had discovered couldn’t have been the result of contamination after the meteorites landed on Earth. The only explanation – that asteroids and comets could contain the building blocks of life.
A year later, astronomers at Copenhagen University tracked down a sugar molecule in a distant star system. That molecule is an essential component of ribonucleic acid or RNA, a molecule that is critical for most biological functions.
In 2023, astronomers found traces of organic molecules in the gases around one of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus.
And in mid-2024, scientists identified five greenhouse gases that they said would be telltale signs of life on any other planet.
But the journey of science is also about setbacks. In 2005, two NASA scientists claimed they had found potential traces of extraterrestrial life on Mars after they discovered signs of methane there. Yet those findings eventually did not hold up to scientific scrutiny and NASA distanced itself from their conclusions.
What’s next?
The Cambridge-led team has found DMS and DMDS with 99.7 percent certainty. But while that might sound like a near-perfect score, it is far from what is accepted as the benchmark for a new discovery by the exacting standards of science.
For their conclusions to be considered bulletproof, they need to get to what is known as the five-sigma threshold – 99.99994 percent certainty.
The astronomers believe that more hours on the James Webb telescope could help them reach that level of confirmation.
Astronomers have found the clearest evidence yet that life might exist beyond the solar system, from the atmosphere of a planet 124 light years away from Earth, setting off rare excitement – tinged with caution – in the global scientific community.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers led by astronomers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have found chemical signatures of two compounds that on Earth are only produced by living creatures.
“These are the first hints we are seeing of an alien world that is possibly inhabited,” Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomy professor at Cambridge and the lead researcher behind the discovery, told reporters at a media briefing on April 15. “This is a revolutionary moment.”
So where is the planet that might possibly host life, what evidence have scientists found, and is there reason for scepticism?
Where did the scientists find this evidence?
The researchers relied on data captured by NASA’s James Webb telescope, which was carried into outer space in 2022, and sits about 1.5 million kilometres (930,000 miles) away from Earth, as humanity’s watchtower peering into the universe.
They focused on one particular planet, K2-18b, because it had already shown promising signs as a candidate extraterrestrial body with conditions similar to those on Earth.
K2-18b lies in a constellation called Leo, and is so far away from Earth that a spaceship would need to travel for 124 years at the speed of light to get there. In reality, it would take much, much longer since the laws of physics don’t allow anything other than light to travel that fast.
The planet is 8.6 times heavier than Earth, and 2.6 times as large. Critically, it sits in what is known as the “Goldilocks Zone” of its sun: that’s the region around a star where a planet’s temperature could, in theory, support water in its liquid form on the surface.
In 2023, Cambridge astronomers found methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the planet.
That was the first time that carbon-based molecules had been discovered in the atmosphere of any planet in the habitable zone of its sun – the distance from a sun where it’s neither too hot, nor too cold, and so possible for life to survive. The scientists said that a surface covered first by an ocean, and then a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, would explain the presence of carbon-based molecules. Simply put, it was possible that the planet could have water.
What have the scientists found now?
Researchers have now found much harder evidence suggesting that the planet might not only have the conditions to host life – but could, at least in theory, be hosting life itself.
To explore planets light years away from Earth, scientists wait for them to pass in front of their suns. They study the light from the suns as it streams through the atmospheres of these planets, searching for clues.
That’s how the team found traces of either dimethyl sulfide (DMS) or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) – or both – in the atmosphere of K2-18b.
On Earth, these compounds are only produced by living beings, particularly microbes such as marine phytoplankton. What’s more, what the scientists found suggests that the concentration of these chemicals in the K2-18b atmosphere was thousands of times higher than on Earth.
“It was an incredible realisation seeing the results emerge and remain consistent throughout the extensive independent analyses and robustness tests,” said co-author Mans Holmberg, a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, United States, in a media statement on the Cambridge University website.
A young star cluster known as NGC 602 is seen through the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope [Courtesy of NASA]
How reliable are the findings?
The scientists published their findings in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal Letters publication, which means that other experts in the field who studied their paper found it convincing.
But that does not mean that the scientists have found irrefutable evidence of life. Far from it.
Madhusudhan acknowledged that it is possible that the traces of DMS and DMDS found in the atmosphere of K2-18b are the outcome of chemical phenomena that are as of now, unknown to humanity.
“It’s important that we’re deeply sceptical of our own results, because it’s only by testing and testing again that we will be able to reach the point where we’re confident in them,” Madhusudhan said. “That’s how science has to work.”
His colleagues in the research team agreed.
“Our work is the starting point for all the investigations that are now needed to confirm and understand the implications of these exciting findings,” said co-author Savvas Constantinou, also from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy.
The findings of the Cambridge-led team follow a series of breakthroughs in recent years that have excited scientists about the possibilities of finding life beyond Earth.
In 2011, NASA scientists announced that they had found chemicals that are components of DNA on meteorites that had landed in Antarctica. The chemical traces they had discovered couldn’t have been the result of contamination after the meteorites landed on Earth. The only explanation – that asteroids and comets could contain the building blocks of life.
A year later, astronomers at Copenhagen University tracked down a sugar molecule in a distant star system. That molecule is an essential component of ribonucleic acid or RNA, a molecule that is critical for most biological functions.
In 2023, astronomers found traces of organic molecules in the gases around one of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus.
And in mid-2024, scientists identified five greenhouse gases that they said would be telltale signs of life on any other planet.
But the journey of science is also about setbacks. In 2005, two NASA scientists claimed they had found potential traces of extraterrestrial life on Mars after they discovered signs of methane there. Yet those findings eventually did not hold up to scientific scrutiny and NASA distanced itself from their conclusions.
What’s next?
The Cambridge-led team has found DMS and DMDS with 99.7 percent certainty. But while that might sound like a near-perfect score, it is far from what is accepted as the benchmark for a new discovery by the exacting standards of science.
For their conclusions to be considered bulletproof, they need to get to what is known as the five-sigma threshold – 99.99994 percent certainty.
The astronomers believe that more hours on the James Webb telescope could help them reach that level of confirmation.
Astronomers have found the clearest evidence yet that life might exist beyond the solar system, from the atmosphere of a planet 124 light years away from Earth, setting off rare excitement – tinged with caution – in the global scientific community.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers led by astronomers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have found chemical signatures of two compounds that on Earth are only produced by living creatures.
“These are the first hints we are seeing of an alien world that is possibly inhabited,” Nikku Madhusudhan, an astronomy professor at Cambridge and the lead researcher behind the discovery, told reporters at a media briefing on April 15. “This is a revolutionary moment.”
So where is the planet that might possibly host life, what evidence have scientists found, and is there reason for scepticism?
Where did the scientists find this evidence?
The researchers relied on data captured by NASA’s James Webb telescope, which was carried into outer space in 2022, and sits about 1.5 million kilometres (930,000 miles) away from Earth, as humanity’s watchtower peering into the universe.
They focused on one particular planet, K2-18b, because it had already shown promising signs as a candidate extraterrestrial body with conditions similar to those on Earth.
K2-18b lies in a constellation called Leo, and is so far away from Earth that a spaceship would need to travel for 124 years at the speed of light to get there. In reality, it would take much, much longer since the laws of physics don’t allow anything other than light to travel that fast.
The planet is 8.6 times heavier than Earth, and 2.6 times as large. Critically, it sits in what is known as the “Goldilocks Zone” of its sun: that’s the region around a star where a planet’s temperature could, in theory, support water in its liquid form on the surface.
In 2023, Cambridge astronomers found methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the planet.
That was the first time that carbon-based molecules had been discovered in the atmosphere of any planet in the habitable zone of its sun – the distance from a sun where it’s neither too hot, nor too cold, and so possible for life to survive. The scientists said that a surface covered first by an ocean, and then a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, would explain the presence of carbon-based molecules. Simply put, it was possible that the planet could have water.
What have the scientists found now?
Researchers have now found much harder evidence suggesting that the planet might not only have the conditions to host life – but could, at least in theory, be hosting life itself.
To explore planets light years away from Earth, scientists wait for them to pass in front of their suns. They study the light from the suns as it streams through the atmospheres of these planets, searching for clues.
That’s how the team found traces of either dimethyl sulfide (DMS) or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) – or both – in the atmosphere of K2-18b.
On Earth, these compounds are only produced by living beings, particularly microbes such as marine phytoplankton. What’s more, what the scientists found suggests that the concentration of these chemicals in the K2-18b atmosphere was thousands of times higher than on Earth.
“It was an incredible realisation seeing the results emerge and remain consistent throughout the extensive independent analyses and robustness tests,” said co-author Mans Holmberg, a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, United States, in a media statement on the Cambridge University website.
A young star cluster known as NGC 602 is seen through the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope [Courtesy of NASA]
How reliable are the findings?
The scientists published their findings in the peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal Letters publication, which means that other experts in the field who studied their paper found it convincing.
But that does not mean that the scientists have found irrefutable evidence of life. Far from it.
Madhusudhan acknowledged that it is possible that the traces of DMS and DMDS found in the atmosphere of K2-18b are the outcome of chemical phenomena that are as of now, unknown to humanity.
“It’s important that we’re deeply sceptical of our own results, because it’s only by testing and testing again that we will be able to reach the point where we’re confident in them,” Madhusudhan said. “That’s how science has to work.”
His colleagues in the research team agreed.
“Our work is the starting point for all the investigations that are now needed to confirm and understand the implications of these exciting findings,” said co-author Savvas Constantinou, also from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy.
The findings of the Cambridge-led team follow a series of breakthroughs in recent years that have excited scientists about the possibilities of finding life beyond Earth.
In 2011, NASA scientists announced that they had found chemicals that are components of DNA on meteorites that had landed in Antarctica. The chemical traces they had discovered couldn’t have been the result of contamination after the meteorites landed on Earth. The only explanation – that asteroids and comets could contain the building blocks of life.
A year later, astronomers at Copenhagen University tracked down a sugar molecule in a distant star system. That molecule is an essential component of ribonucleic acid or RNA, a molecule that is critical for most biological functions.
In 2023, astronomers found traces of organic molecules in the gases around one of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus.
And in mid-2024, scientists identified five greenhouse gases that they said would be telltale signs of life on any other planet.
But the journey of science is also about setbacks. In 2005, two NASA scientists claimed they had found potential traces of extraterrestrial life on Mars after they discovered signs of methane there. Yet those findings eventually did not hold up to scientific scrutiny and NASA distanced itself from their conclusions.
What’s next?
The Cambridge-led team has found DMS and DMDS with 99.7 percent certainty. But while that might sound like a near-perfect score, it is far from what is accepted as the benchmark for a new discovery by the exacting standards of science.
For their conclusions to be considered bulletproof, they need to get to what is known as the five-sigma threshold – 99.99994 percent certainty.
The astronomers believe that more hours on the James Webb telescope could help them reach that level of confirmation.
Captain Rachel Malcolm misses out with a concussion as Scotland make two changes for their Six Nations trip to England on Saturday.
Malcolm suffered a head knock in the 25-17 home defeat by Italy last weekend, as did scrum-half Leia Brebner-Holden.
Fly-half Helen Nelson will lead the team in Malcolm’s absence.
Caity Mattinson takes over at number nine and Jade Konkel comes in at number eight as Evie Gallagher moves to blindside flanker in place of Malcolm.
Rachel McLachlan joins those two in the back row and will earn her 50th cap, while lock Becky Boyd stays in the team after making her first start against the Italians.
There are a trio of uncapped players on the bench, with Gemma Bell among the forward options, while Rhea Clarke provides scrum-half cover and centre Rachel Philipps could also make a potential debut.
Scotland opened with victory over Wales but are now fifth in the table after defeats by France and Italy.
England, aiming for a seventh successive title, lead the way with three bonus-point wins.
England have won all 23 Six Nations meetings with Scotland, the past five encounters settled by an aggregate score of 266-22.
“England have the ability to go through you physically, they also have the ability to go round you,” said head coach Bryan Easson. “They can suffocate you defensively.
“They have such a good team, one to 15, or should I say one to 40. No matter what changes they make, they have world class players coming in.
“It’s a huge task but one we are certainly up for.
Line-ups
England: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Shekells, MacDonald; Aitchison, L Packer; Clifford, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Galligan, Ward, Aldcroft (capt), M Packer, Feaunati.
