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Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily will be forced to shut "in a matter of days" after authorities froze the company's assets under a national security law, an adviser to jailed owner Jimmy Lai told Reuters on Monday. The closure of Apple Daily would undermine the former British colony's reputation as an open and free society and send a warning to other companies that could be accused of colluding with a foreign country, media advocacy groups said.

Source: reuters.com

Caitríona Lagan is an All-Ireland champion musician from Castledawson, County Londonderry. The 15-year-old plays five instruments - banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and mandola. During lockdown she began posting videos on social media showcasing her wide-ranging musical talent.

Source: bbc.com

Sheikha Latifa, one of the daughters of the ruler of Dubai, appears to be enjoying an increasing degree of freedom and is travelling, a lawyer for the group which campaigned for her freedom told Reuters on Monday. A new image of Latifa, a daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, was posted on Instagram appearing to show her abroad following earlier pictures of public outings in the emirate where Latifa had said she was being held captive.

Source: reuters.com

France have lost Ousmane Dembele for the rest of Euro 2020 after X-rays showed the Barcelona winger's knee injury would not heal in time, the French Football Federation said on Monday. Dembele, 24, was hurt in the closing minutes of the 1-1 draw against Hungary in Budapest on Saturday. X-rays on Sunday evening showed he would not be back before the end of the Euros.

Source: france24.com

The elephant sniffed out the food and smashed through the home in Thailand. Rachadawan Phungprasopporn and her husband were woken up by the noise. They were shocked to see the elephant with its huge ivory tusks rummaging through the cupboard with its long trunk. The bull named Plai Bunchuay is known for causing mischief in the region.

 

Russia’s ambassador has returned to the United States three months after being recalled as tensions rose between Moscow and Washington, according to a tweet from the Russian Embassy on Sunday.

Source: apnews.com

Sweden's parliament ousted Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in a no-confidence vote on Monday, giving the Social Democrat leader a week to resign and hand the speaker the job of finding a new government, or call a snap election. The nationalist Sweden Democrats had seized the chance to call the vote after the formerly communist Left Party withdrew support for the centre-left government over a plan to ease rent controls for new-build apartments.

Source: reuters.com

Sprinter Usain Bolt has had twin boys, named Thunder Bolt and Saint Leo Bolt. Bolt, 34, announced the news on Instagram on Father's Day, with a lightning bolt emoji next to each of his children's names. The Olympic champion posted a photo of him and partner Kasi Bennett, with their twin boys and one-year-old daughter Olympia Lightning. The couple did not say when exactly the twins were born.

Source: bbc.com

Employees must also smile if they want to book conference rooms for meetings. The 'smile recognition' technology was installed by Canon Information Technology, the Chinese subsidiary of Canon, in their Beijing office. The aim is to ensure the staff will create a positive environment in the office.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Barnaby Joyce will return as Australia's deputy prime minister after a sudden leadership contest in the National party, the government's junior coalition partner. Mr Joyce defeated Michael McCormack in a party vote on Monday. It follows growing concern from some National MPs over their party's influence in climate policy. The party, which represents farmers and rural voters, has 21 members in the governing centre-right coalition.

Source: bbc.com

Two molecules associated with high stress levels have been implicated in the development of broken heart syndrome, a condition that mainly affects post-menopausal women and is usually brought on by severe stress, such as the loss of a loved one. The syndrome, formally known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is characterised by weakening of the heart’s main pumping chamber and was first identified in 1990 in Japan. It looks and sounds like a heart attack and is consequently often confused for one. The syndrome also carries a risk of complications similar to that of an actual heart attack.

Source: theguardian.com

Ethiopia was voting Monday in the greatest electoral test yet for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as war and logistical issues meant ballots wouldn’t be cast in more than 100 constituencies of the 547 across the country. The election, delayed from last year, is the centerpiece of a reform drive by Abiy, whose rise to power in 2018 seemed to signal a break with decades of authoritarian rule and led to his Nobel Peace Prize the following year. He has described the poll as “the nation’s first attempt at free and fair elections.” Military vehicles were parked in key locations in the capital. More than 37 million Ethiopians were expected to vote.

Source: apnews.com

The United States' new top envoy for North Korea said on Monday in Seoul that he looks forward to a "positive response soon" on dialogue from North Korea. U.S. special representative for North Korea Sung Kim is in South Korea for a five-day visit, amid an impasse in denuclearisation talks with Pyongyang, with no word of any planned efforts to contact the North. Kim arrived on Saturday, a day after North Korean state media reported that leader Kim Jong urged preparation for both dialogue and confrontation with the United States, particularly the latter.

Source: reuters.com

German police have issued an appeal for information after two valuable 17th Century paintings were discovered dumped in a road-side skip. The oil paintings are believed to be by Dutch artist Samuel van Hoogstraten and Italian Pietro Bellotti, police said. A man found the paintings at a motorway service station on the A7 south of Würzburg in Bavaria last month. He handed them in to police in the city of Cologne. No one has yet claimed the artworks.

Source: bbc.com

A thrill-seeking tortoise has won an army of fans who cannot get enough of watching her scoot down her slide very slowly. A video of leopard tortoise Sybil was taken by staff at her home at Fishers Farm Park in Wisborough Green, West Sussex. In the clip she is shown climbing a little ramp and walking over to the slide before pushing in front of pen-mate Eric and going down the slide.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

A massive methane plume detected earlier this month over Russia stemmed from emergency repairs that forced the partial shutdown of a Gazprom PJSC pipeline, the company said, taking responsibility for one of the energy sector’s most intense recent leaks of the superpotent greenhouse gas. The Russian gas giant said its pipeline repairs on June 4 released 2.7 million cubic meters (1,830 metric tons) of methane. 

Source: bloomberg.com

Jeffrey Dader caught the skate in a lobster pot in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts. He later posted a video of himself placing it on the side of his boat and saying 'how do you tickle a fish' before reaching over and touching it in thick gloves. But where he claimed it looked as though it was giggling as its mouth curled up, others claimed it was gasping for air.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Australia will file a formal complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) after China imposed up to 218% tariffs on its wine last year. China says the tariffs were increased because of trading malpractice, which Australia denies. Australia says it remains open to engaging directly with China to resolve the issue. China is the top market for Australian wine exports and wineries say they have been badly hit by the hikes. The decision to take the dispute to the WTO was made after extensive consultation with winemakers, the Australian government said in a statement.

Source: bbc.com