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Milan are closing in on a €2m (£1.7m) deal to sign Olivier Giroud from Chelsea. Giroud saw Chelsea trigger a one-year option on his contract towards the end of last season, ending his chances of leaving on a free, but the striker is still expected to move to Milan. The 34-year-old often found himself on the sidelines under Thomas Tuchel and is keen to play more regularly. Milan have long held an interest in Giroud and have continued to negotiate with the European champions over the France international.
Source: theguardian.com
Authorities in India's southern Kerala region have issued a statewide alert after a case of the Zika virus was confirmed, officials said Friday. A further 13 suspected cases were being investigated, state health minister Veena George said. A 24-year-old pregnant woman was found to be infected with the mosquito-borne disease and was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram city. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable and can transmit the infection to their newborns which can result in life-altering conditions such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare auto-immune disease.
Source: france24.com
The Taliban has captured a major border crossing point between Afghanistan and Iran, according to Afghan officials. Video footage appeared to show Taliban forces taking down the Afghan flag from the roof of the border customs office. The Islam Qala crossing is one of the biggest trade gateways into Iran, generating an estimated $20m monthly revenue for the government.
Source: bbc.com
Fan who pulled a sickie to go to Wembley is spotted on TV by her boss as she celebrated goal. Nina Farooqi, 37, made an excuse to dodge work so she could go to Wembley after getting a last-minute ticket. Despite being among 60,000 fans, a TV camera zoomed in on her as she was celebrating England's first goal. When she checked her phone at half-time she realised her game was up, with friends saying they'd seen her. Digital content producer was sacked at 6am the next day when bosses told her not to bother coming back in.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Giant pandas are no longer classified as endangered but are still vulnerable, Chinese officials say. The classification was downgraded as their number in the wild has reached 1,800. Experts say that the country managed to save its iconic animal through its long-term conservation efforts, including the expansion of habitats. China considers pandas a national treasure, but have also loaned them to other countries as diplomatic tools.
Source: bbc.com
At least three people have been killed, 20 others injured and many are feared trapped after a massive fire raged through a factory in Bangladesh, officials said on Friday. The cause of the fire, which originated at a ground floor of a multi-storey building of the juice factory on Thursday night in Narayanganj, 20 km (12 miles) from Dhaka, was not immediately known. "It is not clear how many workers are trapped. We are gathering information," Mustain Billah, the Narayanganj district administrator, told Reuters from the scene.
Source: reuters.com
A drawing of a bear's head by Leonardo da Vinci sold for a record £8.8m ($12.1m) at a London auction. Measuring just 7x7cm, Head of a Bear is more than 500 years old. The sale has surpassed the previous record for a Leonardo drawing, set by the Horse and Rider, which sold for £8.1m in 2001. According to Christie's auction house, which held the sale, it is among just a few drawings by the Italian Renaissance master which are still privately owned. The auction house did not reveal the identity of the buyers. However, it was sold to a single bid from a man and a woman.
Source: bbc.com
Top seed Ash Barty became the first Australian woman to reach the Wimbledon singles final for 41 years after beating former champion Angelique Kerber 6-3 7-6(3) on Thursday. The 25-year-old will now aim to emulate Evonne Goolagong who won the second of her two Wimbledon crowns in 1980. Barty will face Karolina Pliskova in Saturday's showpiece after the Czech beat Aryna Sabalenka -- the first time since 1977 that both finalists are in their maiden Wimbledon final.
Source: reuters.com
Several people died in the crash of an airplane after takeoff outside Orebro, Sweden, on Thursday, Swedish police said. "It's a very severe accident," Swedish police said on their website. "Several people have died." Police said the plane was carrying nine people. The Joint Rescue Co-Ordination Centre told TT news agency it was carrying sky divers.
Source: reuters.com
The Tokyo Olympics will be held without spectators at venues in the Japanese capital due to a spike in coronavirus infections, Olympic minister Tamayo Marukawa said Thursday after organizers made the unprecedented decision just two weeks ahead of the opening of the global sporting event.
Source: kyodonews.net
Russia has offered North Korea Covid vaccines once again, amid reports that a harsh lockdown is leading to extreme hunger. Pyongyang has refused vaccines and aid from a number of countries. It has instead sealed borders to try and keep the virus out but that has affected trade with China. It relies on Beijing for food, fertiliser and fuel. Kim Jong-un has acknowledged that the country is facing food shortages, describing the situation as "tense".
Source: bbc.com
A somber moment of silence marked the end of the two-week search for survivors of a Florida condominium collapse, as rescue workers stood at solemn attention and clergy members hugged a line of local officials while many of them sobbed. The death toll stood at 54 late Wednesday. Officials said 86 people were unaccounted for, although detectives were still working to verify that each of those listed as missing was actually in the building when it collapsed. Officials vowed to continue the recovery efforts until they find the remains of every one of the missing.
Source: apnews.com
More than 8 billion people could be at risk of malaria and dengue fever by 2080 if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise unabated, a new study says. Malaria and dengue fever will spread to reach billions of people, according to new projections. Researchers predict that up to 4.7 billion more people could be threatened by the world’s two most prominent mosquito-borne diseases, compared with 1970-99 figures.
Source: theguardian.com
South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma has handed himself in to police to begin serving a 15-month jail sentence for contempt of court. He was admitted to Estcourt Correctional Centre in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday. Police had warned that they were prepared to arrest him if he did not hand himself in by midnight. Zuma, 79, was handed the jail term last week after he failed to attend a corruption inquiry.
Source: bbc.com
The European Union on Thursday handed down $1 billion in fines to four major German car manufacturers, saying they colluded to limit the development and rollout of car emission control systems. Daimler, BMW, VW, Audi and Porsche avoided competing on technology to restrict pollution from gasoline and diesel passenger cars, the European Commission said. Daimler wasn’t fined after it revealed the cartel to the European Commission.
Source: apnews.com
Four German tightrope walkers have set a new world highlining distance record by crossing a 2.1 km-long valley in Swedish lapland on a line suspended at a height of 600 metres. Reuters' video footage showed a barefoot man sway and teeter as he delicately tiptoed across the line between two mountain peaks in a snow-capped valley.
Source: reuters.com
The world’s tallest sandcastle has been completed in Denmark, towering more than 20 metres high and comprising nearly 5,000 tonnes of sand. Standing 21.16 metres in height (69.4 feet), the castle is more than 3 metres taller than one built in Germany in 2019, which previously held the title, according to Guinness World Records. A total of 4,860 tonnes of sand make up the intricately decorated structure, which is reminiscent of a pyramid, in the small seaside town of Blokhus. Its Dutch creator, Wilfred Stijger, was assisted by 30 of the world’s best sand sculptors.
Source: theguardian.com
Women have taken up guns in northern and central Afghanistan, marching in the streets in their hundreds and sharing pictures of themselves with assault rifles on social media, in a show of defiance as the Taliban make sweeping gains nationwide. One of the biggest demonstrations was in central Ghor province, where hundreds of women turned out at the weekend, waving guns and chanting anti-Taliban slogans.
Source: theguardian.com
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