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At least 12 people were killed after an earthquake hit western Afghanistan on Monday, an official said. The victims died when roofs of their residential houses collapsed in Qadis district in the western province of Badghis, district governor Mohammad Saleh Purdel told AFP.
Source: france24.com
Organisers of this year's Winter Olympics in Beijing have cancelled plans to sell tickets to the general public as part of strict Covid-19 restrictions in the Chinese capital. The Games organisers previously said there would be no international spectators but had promised to allow domestic audiences. But tickets will now be distributed to invited "groups of spectators" only.
Source: bbc.com
North Korea fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles from an airport in its capital city of Pyongyang on Monday, South Korea’s military reported, in the fourth test this month. Japan’s government also reported the launch, with chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno condemning them as a threat to the region’s peace and security.
Source: france24.com
At least three people have been killed and six others wounded when three oil tankers exploded in Abu Dhabi in a suspected drone attack, according to Emirati authorities, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they had launched an operation “deep” in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi police said on Monday three fuel tanker trucks had exploded in the industrial Musaffah area, near storage facilities of oil firm ADNOC, and that a fire had also broken out at a construction site at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Source: aljazeera.com
Mainland China’s birth rate dropped to a record low of 7.52 per 1,000 people in 2021, National Bureau of Statistics data showed on Monday, accelerating a downward trend that led Beijing last year to begin allowing couples to have up to three children. The birth rate was the lowest since 1949 when the statistics bureau began collating the data.
Source: aljazeera.com
Karim Benzema has threatened to leave Real Madrid next summer if the club signs Erling Haaland, according to reports, with the prolific striker said to be unhappy over Florentino Perez's attempts to bring in a new forward. The 34-year-old has scored 24 goals in just 27 appearances this season, but Madrid are widely expected to be at the front of the queue in the race to snap up Haaland, when he leaves Borussia Dortmund over the summer.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Celine Dion has announced the cancellation of the remaining 16 shows of her world tour, due to ongoing health issues. The Canadian singer said she was recovering from "severe and persistent muscle spasms," that were hindering her ability to perform, according to a post published from her verified Instagram account on Saturday.
Source: cnn.com
Japan's richest football club Vissel Kobe want to build a bronze statue of World Cup-winning star player Andres Iniesta -- and are launching a crowdfunding project to pay for it. Former Barcelona maestro Iniesta joined Kobe in 2018 in a deal worth a reported $30 million a year, and signed a two-year contract extension last spring. Now Kobe are looking to raise 15 million yen ($130,000) to pay tribute to the 37-year-old midfielder with a statue outside their stadium.
Source: france24.com
Tonga is calling for “immediate aid”, with an urgent need for fresh water and food, as it assesses the damage caused by Saturday’s eruption of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai. The volcano exploded in a massive eruption on Saturday – said to be the biggest since Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991 – triggering a tsunami and blanketing the Pacific island nation in volcanic ash.
Source: aljazeera.com
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he is returning to Ukraine to fight treason charges — even though he views them as politically motivated — because he believes that fighting them is part of his defense of national unity. Poroshenko spoke Sunday at a news conference in Warsaw hours before he is to fly Monday from the Polish capital to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he is to face the allegations in court.
Source: apnews.com
Judges rejected a challenge by the unvaccinated tennis star after the government cancelled his visa on "health and good order" grounds. Djokovic said he was "extremely disappointed" but accepted the ruling. He has left on a flight to Dubai. It marks the end of a 10-day saga, in which the Serb fought to stay to defend his title in the Australian Open.
Source: bbc.com
Former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has died, Malian state media channel ORTM reported on Sunday. Keita was in office for seven years, from September 2013 to August 2020, before being ousted in a military coup.
Source: cnn.com
Several high school students sitting their university entrance exam in Tokyo were wounded on Saturday in an apparent knife attack, Japanese media said. Public broadcaster NHK said three people were conscious after being injured in the morning when another student attacked them with a bladed object as they gathered to take their entrance exam. The alleged assailant, a 17-year old high school student, was arrested, the Asahi newspaper said.
Source: chinadailyhk.com
Sinéad O'Connor has been admitted to the hospital, one week after her 17-year-old son was found dead. The "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer told fans on Thursday night that she was heading to hospital to receive help after sharing in a series of disturbing Twitter posts that she planned to take her own life.
Source: cnn.com
North Korea on Friday fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles in its third weapons launch this month, officials in South Korea said, in an apparent reprisal for fresh sanctions imposed by the Biden administration for its continuing test launches.
Source: apnews.com
A Canadian doctor has told of her joy after delivering a "Miracle" baby on an overnight flight to Uganda. Dr Aisha Khatib, a professor at the University of Toronto, was about one hour into her Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Entebbe when the call went out. A Ugandan migrant worker travelling home from Saudi Arabia was about to deliver her first child. The baby, early at 35 weeks, was born healthy, and was named Miracle Aisha, after the doctor.
Source: bbc.com
A 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement signed between Iran and China last year has now entered the implementation stage, according to Iran’s foreign minister. Hossein Amirabdollahian, in his first visit to China as foreign minister, announced the news late Friday after a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. The agreement includes economic, military and security cooperation.
Source: aljazeera.com
Netflix Inc has raised its monthly subscription price by $1 to $2 per month in the United States depending on the plan, the company said on Friday, to help pay for new programming to compete in the crowded streaming TV market. The standard plan, which allows for two simultaneous streams, now costs $15.49 per month, up from $13.99, in the United States. Prices also rose in Canada, where the standard plan climbed to C$16.49 from C$14.99.
Source: reuters.com
Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani is going big on green energy. His conglomerate, Reliance Industries, announced Thursday that it would allocate a whopping 6 trillion rupees (approximately $80.6 billion) to renewable power projects in the western Indian state of Gujarat, where it hopes to help generate a million new jobs.
Source: cnn.com
Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill, who designed hundreds of projects around the world, winning plaudits for his innovative social housing in France, died Friday of Covid-related complications, his family said.
Source: france24.com
Conservationists and veterinarians are warning that plastic waste in an open landfill in eastern Sri Lanka is killing elephants in the region, after two more were found dead over the weekend. Around 20 elephants have died over the last eight years after consuming plastic trash in the dump in Pallakkadu village in Ampara district, about 210 kilometers (130 miles) east of the capital, Colombo.
Source: apnews.com
Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies has stopped training after the club detected signs of heart muscle inflammation. The Canadian, 21, has not played since 17 December after contracting Covid-19. Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann said a mild sign of myocarditis was discovered after Davies returned to training.
Source: bbc.com
Australia will delay efforts to deport men’s top-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic until his renewed legal challenge concludes. At an emergency hearing on Friday, government lawyer Stephen Lloyd told a judge that Australia would not detain Djokovic before an interview with immigration officials on Saturday morning and he would not be deported before his case is heard.
Source: aljazeera.com
Choomba, "one of the founding members of the gorilla population at Zoo Atlanta," died Thursday. Veterinary staff "had been monitoring Choomba closely in recent days following a marked decline in her physical condition due to advanced arthritis and other age-related complications," said a zoo statement. "Given her poor prognosis and with concern for her comfort and quality of life, the teams made the extremely difficult decision to euthanize her," the statement said. Choomba arrived at Zoo Atlanta in the 1980s.
Source: cnn.com
A single page of original artwork from an acclaimed 1984 comic featuring Spider-Man sold for a record $3.36 million in the United States on Thursday, making the webslinger the world's mightiest auction superhero.
Source: france24.com
Poland’s lower house of parliament has passed a bill by the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party that would step up government control of schools, which critics say could curb access to teaching on LGBT and reproductive rights. The bill passed on Thursday with 227 votes in favour and 214 against, and will now move to the senate.
Source: theguardian.com
Australia has cancelled Novak Djokovic's visa for a second time in a sensational new attempt to deport the unvaccinated tennis superstar Friday. The country's conservative government, defeated once in the courts, invoked extraordinary executive powers to again rip up the 34-year-old Serbian's visa on public interest grounds.
Source: france24.com
The U.S. Republican Party on Thursday said its future presidential candidates might not participate in debates run by the Commission on Presidential Debates due to concerns about fairness, upending decades of tradition.
Source: reuters.com
Lionel Richie will be honored all night long for his musical achievements. The Library of Congress said Thursday that Richie will receive the national library’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He will be bestowed the prize at an all-star tribute in Washington, D.C., on March 9.
Source: apnews.com
The Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander has announced that Dutch royals will cease using a historic golden carriage amid a debate over slavery links. Critics say that one side of the horse-drawn carriage, called De Gouden Koets, is decorated with an image that glorifies the country's colonial past. Out of use since 2015, the carriage has traditionally been used to carry Dutch monarchs to the opening of parliament.
Source: bbc.com
The nine years spanning 2013-2021 all rank among the 10 hottest on record, according to an annual report by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published Thursday, the latest data underscoring the global climate crisis.
Source: france24.com
President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday told ambassadors from the European Union that the bloc had not provided meaningful support in battling migration and that it had not reciprocated Turkey's efforts to improve relations. Ties between Ankara and the bloc reached a boiling point in 2019 due to a dispute between Turkey and EU member Greece over maritime jurisdiction and rights to offshore energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean.
Source: reuters.com
Duke of York is stripped of 'His Royal Highness', all of his military roles and royal patronages. He will have to face sex assault lawsuit as a 'private citizen'.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
At the age of 95, the Queen still has a tight schedule to adhere to each day, meaning that a good night’s sleep is imperative. According to experts at Eachnight.com, the monarch may actually owe her long life to her active lifestyle and sleep hygiene. As part of her sleep routine, the Queen enjoys a glass of champagne before bed. An expert at Eachnight says that, “The Queen sleeps 8.5 hours a night, which is well within the healthy sleep range of an adult in the UK. Her Majesty retires at 11pm.
Source: thesun.co.uk
Archaeologists working on the route of the HS2 high-speed railway have found an "extremely rare" wooden figure made during the Roman period. It was unearthed in a waterlogged ditch in a field in Twyford, Buckinghamshire. They initially thought the 67cm by 18cm figure was a degraded piece of wood, but as they excavated a humanlike shape was revealed. Archaeologist Iain Williamson said it was an "amazing discovery".
Source: bbc.com
Oscar-winning actor Michael Caine is giving fans the chance to own mementos of his illustrious film career. Personal items including the 88-year-old star's gold Rolex watch -- estimated to fetch as much as £12,000 ($16,300) -- and paintings from his personal collection will go under the hammer in London on March 2.
Source: cnn.com
Australia has equalled its hottest day on record after a remote coastal town reported temperatures of 50.7C (123.26F). The temperature in Onslow, Western Australia, on Thursday matched a record set in 1962 in South Australia.
Source: bbc.com
Aston Villa announced the signing of Lucas Digne from Everton on Thursday, with the France defender becoming Steve Gerrard's second signing of the January transfer window.
Source: france24.com
Less than two weeks after the winter term started, French teachers are already exhausted by the pressures of surging COVID-19 cases. On Thursday, French teachers are walking out in a nationwide strike organized by teacher’s unions to protest virus-linked class disruptions and ever-changing isolation rules.
Source: apnews.com
A top Sri Lankan prison official has been sentenced to death over the killing of 27 inmates in an execution-style massacre that attracted international condemnation. The Colombo High Court on Wednesday convicted Prisons Commissioner Emil Lamahewage, but discharged his co-accused, police commando Moses Rangajeewa, over the killings in November 2012.
Source: aljazeera.com
Paul Pogba is now in the final six months of his Manchester United contract. He is free to speak to overseas teams over a summer transfer as of this month. L'Equipe report that Paris Saint-Germain are favourites to sign the midfielder. Real Madrid and Juventus are other possible but less likely destinations.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet released a joint statement posted on his verified Instagram account Wednesday, announcing they are ending their marriage.
Source: cnn.com
Novak Djokovic was drawn Thursday to play fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of the Australian Open despite ongoing uncertainty over whether he will still be in the country. The 34-year-old Djokovic is scheduled to open his title defence either on Monday or Tuesday.
Source: france24.com
The United States Department of the Treasury on Wednesday slapped sanctions on five North Koreans for what it said are their roles in procuring goods for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile-related programmes.
Source: aljazeera.com
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Wednesday apologised for attending a lockdown-breaching party held in his Downing Street garden, but deflected calls to resign as the opposition leader called him a "man without shame". After days of dismal headlines and collapsing poll ratings, Johnson said he regarded the newly revealed boozy get-together in May 2020 as a work event for Downing Street staff.
Source: france24.com
Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman has signed a contract extension until 2027, the Bundesliga leaders confirmed Wednesday. "I am very happy because FC Bayern are one of the best clubs in the world and I know that we still have a lot of opportunities and big goals," the France winger said in a statement. The 25-year-old joined Bayern from Juventus in 2015.
Source: france24.com
that will support future exploration of Earth's only natural satellite. The device makes use of a vacuum chamber and a powerful magnetic field. The giant magnets levitate the 2ft room off the ground, simulating low gravity. Inside the room they have a lunar-style landscape with simulated moon rocks. The team will use it to test drilling and equipment in a lunar-style environment.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
At least three people, including two children, have been killed after a church collapsed in southern Nigeria. The church collapsed on Tuesday evening in the Okpanam suburb of Asaba, the capital of Delta State, local police spokesman Bright Edafe said on Wednesday. Eleven of the 18 rescued are hospitalised.
Source: aljazeera.com
Silvio Berlusconi has reportedly threatened to withdraw his Forza Italia party from Italy’s governing majority if the current prime minister, Mario Draghi, is elected president later this month. Berlusconi is in Rome from Tuesday on the hunt for votes as he ramps up his own presidential campaign. The secret ballot by more than 1,000 parliamentarians and regional representatives begins on 24 January and is expected to go through several rounds before a successor to Sergio Mattarella, who steps down on 3 February, is elected.
Source: theguardian.com
A car bomb exploded on a road leading to the airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, killing at least eight people, the head of the city's ambulance services said. Mogadishu resident Mohamed Osman said the shock of the blast hit the walls and roof of a mosque he was praying in nearby.
Source: reuters.com
while fishing for smaller fry from a local beauty spot. Joel Gray was out with friends off the coast of the Bay of Plenty on the country's North Island when he hooked the beast. It was only after several minutes wrestling to bring the beast in that he and other witnesses in the area realised it was a great white. It appeared to be a juvenile fish measuring only a third of an adult's size at about two-and-a-half-metres but was still strong enough to break the fishing line and secure its eventual escape.
Source: ladbible.com
More than 80 fact-checking organisations Wednesday urged online video platform YouTube to better combat disinformation, offering to help debunk false statements.
Source: france24.com
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. are facing a lawsuit alleging the celebrities misled investors in their promotion of a cryptocurrency token. The lawsuit, filed Jan. 7 in Los Angeles federal court, claims the celebrities touted tokens sold by EthereumMax, or EMAX, in order to boost its price and make themselves a profit "at the expense of their followers and investors."
Source: reuters.com
Novak Djokovic has admitted breaching isolation rules after testing positive for Covid-19 last month, describing it as an "error of judgement". In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the Serbian admitted meeting a journalist for an interview two days after he tested positive on 16 December. "I accept that I should have rescheduled," he wrote. His activity has been scrutinised as the Australian government considers whether to deport him.
Source: bbc.com
Kanye West, the artist and entrepreneur, now known as Ye, is planning a trip to Moscow later this year to meet with President Vladimir Putin, hold Sunday Service performances as his first-ever shows in Russia and expand his business ventures into the country, his associate told Billboard.
The United Nations said Tuesday it needed $5 billion in aid for Afghanistan in 2022 to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and offer the ravaged country a future after 40 years of suffering.
Source: france24.com
Magawa, the famous mine-clearing rat who was awarded a gold medal for his heroism, has died at the age of eight. In a five-year career, the rodent sniffed out over 100 landmines and other explosives in Cambodia. Magawa was the most successful rat trained by the Belgian charity Apopo to alert human handlers about the mines so they can be safely removed.
Source: bbc.com
Personalized smart guns, which can be fired only by verified users, may finally become available to U.S. consumers after two decades of questions about reliability and concerns they will usher in a new wave of government regulation. Four-year-old LodeStar Works on Friday unveiled its 9mm smart handgun for shareholders and investors in Boise, Idaho. And a Kansas company, SmartGunz LLC, says law enforcement agents are beta testing its product, a similar but simpler model.
Source: reuters.com
For 42-year-old Ghanaian Canadian artist Ekow Nimako, Lego is more than just a kids' toy. A trickster deity in the form of a spider, a flower girl holding a giant bee and a Ghanaian kingdom in the year 3020 are all sculptures that he has built using only black Legos. "I'm making art," said Nimako. "This is fine art. It's not a hobby, it's not a toy, it's not part of the Lego fandom, it's not goofy. It doesn't fall into a lot of categories that Lego creations fall into." He started making Lego sculptures in 2012.
Police said the explosion took place on Tuesday as the bus was travelling along a highway near Cotabato City on Mindanao island, a haven for multiple armed groups ranging from communist rebels to religious fighters.
Source: aljazeera.com
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