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Two American tourists have been fined after breaking into the Colosseum, reportedly to experience the pleasure of having a beer inside the ancient Roman amphitheatre. The pair, aged 24 and 25, climbed on to the second tier of the monument in the early hours of Monday morning. They were spotted at about 5.30am, chatting over their drinks, by a passerby who alerted police.
Source: theguardian.com
Syria’s state-run media says Israel carried out an attack on the country’s south, with two missiles targeting an empty house, but no casualties were reported. The missiles came from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights early on Wednesday, aimed at the building south of the capital Damascus, the state-run news agency SANA said, adding that Syria’s defence systems intercepted one of the incoming missiles. The attack caused no losses.
Source: aljazeera.com
The French government has unveiled a plan to tackle the prostitution of minors, describing it as a "worrying" and "growing" issue. Secretary of State for Children Adrien Taquet told a press conference on Tuesday that at least 7,000 to 10,000 children are affected. He also said that the number is "constantly increasing."
Source: euronews.com
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday that the issue of the Parthenon sculptures, which Greece wants returned from London to Athens, was one for the British Museum and not for his government. Greece has been asking since 1832 for the return of the sculptures, which were removed from the Parthenon temple in Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin at a time when Greece was under Ottoman rule.
Source: reuters.com
The "Salvator Mundi," which sold for $450 million at Christie's auction house as a fully authenticated Leonardo da Vinci, has been downgraded by curators at the Prado national museum in Madrid, Spain. It was bought in November 2017 by the Saudi culture minister, Prince Badr bin Abdullah, apparently for the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The downgrading comes in the catalog of the Prado exhibition "Leonardo and the copy of the Mona Lisa," which runs until January 23, 2022.
Source: cnn.com
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issues decree effectively sacking Syria’s Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun, the highest Islamic authority in Syria, without giving reasons for the decision.
Source: aljazeera.com
Alex Orchin, from East Sussex, expects to take to two to three weeks to complete a 874-mile (1,407km) trip in a Peel P50. He has taken on the challenge to raise money for BBC Children in Need. It is believed to be the first time the drive from John O'Groats to Land's End has been done in a P50.
Source: bbc.com
San Marino, officially the lowest-ranked football nation in the world, was thrashed 10-0 by a ruthless England side in a World Cup qualifying match on Monday.
Source: cnn.com
Mexican security forces have arrested the wife of "El Mencho", Mexico's most wanted man and the leader of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Rosalinda González is suspected of running the CJNG's finances. Mexico's defence ministry said she was arrested in Zapopán, the same city where she was detained in 2018.
Source: bbc.com
A screening test using tiny worms to detect early signs of pancreatic cancer in urine has been developed by a Japanese biotech firm, which hopes it could help boost routine screening. Hirotsu Bio Science has genetically modified a type of worm called "C. elegans" -- around one millimetre long, with an acute sense of smell -- to react to the urine of people with pancreatic cancer, which is notoriously difficult to detect early.
Source: france24.com
More than 500 people have been hospitalised by scorpion stings in southern Egypt after storms forced the creatures out of their hiding places and into houses, state-run media has reported. Over the weekend, the province of Aswan was hit by rare downpours, hail and thunder in which three people died, governor Ashraf Attia said. However, those who were stung by scorpions were given anti-venom doses and were later discharged.
Source: theguardian.com
The U.N. human rights office is citing reports that authorities in Ethiopia have detained at least 1,000 people, most of them of Tigrayan origin, under a state of emergency the government declared earlier this month after a brutal yearlong war with rival Tigray forces. The arrests occurred in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, the northern cities of Gondar and Bahir Dar, and other places, according to Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Source: apnews.com
Chinese President Xi Jinping has used a virtual summit with US counterpart Joe Biden to warn that encouraging Taiwanese independence would be "playing with fire". Both sides emphasised the two men's personal relationship and the summit was an attempt to ease tensions. But they could not escape one of the most sensitive topics: the self-ruled island of Taiwan. The US recognises and has formal ties with China. But it has also pledged to help Taiwan defend itself in the event of an attack.
Source: bbc.com
Israel has urged Turkey to release an Israeli couple charged with espionage for allegedly taking photos of the presidential residence in Istanbul. Natalie and Mordi Oknin, who are bus drivers from Modiin, were arrested last week after being reported by staff at a restaurant in the Camlica Tower. A judge ordered that they should be remanded in custody pending trial.
Source: bbc.com
A French court on Monday began hearing an appeal by former prime minister François Fillon against a conviction in a corruption scandal that torpedoed his presidential ambitions and sealed the rise of Emmanuel Macron.
Source: france24.com
Guatemala has extradited a son of former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli to the United States, where he and his brother face bribery and money laundering charges linked to Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht. Luis Enrique Martinelli on Monday morning boarded an extradition flight bound for the United States, where he is wanted by a federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
Source: aljazeera.com
Several outbreaks of severe bird flu in Europe and Asia have been reported in recent days to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), in a sign the virus is spreading quickly again. South Korea reported an outbreak at a farm of around 770,000 poultry in Chungcheongbuk-do, the OIE said on Monday, citing a report from the South Korean authorities.
Source: cnn.com
Relentless rain battered Canada's Pacific coast on Monday, forcing evacuations and sending mudslides, rocks and debris across highways that left motorists trapped east of Vancouver. Rescuers were deployed to free up to 150 people trapped in their cars and trucks between two mudslides near the town of Agassiz, according to local reports.
Source: france24.com
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