Short news
Cristiano Ronaldo became the greatest goalscorer in the history of the European Championship finals after netting a brace in Portugal's 3-0 win against Hungary on Tuesday. The 36-year-old had been level with Michel Platini on nine goals ahead of Euro 2020 but overtook the France great after scoring a penalty in the 87th minute. He then added another goal in stoppage time as he bagged his 106th international goal. The Portuguese superstar, who had been quiet for much of the game, also became the first man to play in five European Championship finals, having made his debut back in 2004.
Source: edition.cnn.com
Workers scaled a giant statue of a Buddhist goddess in Japan on Tuesday to place a custom-made mask on her face, an act meant to be a prayer for the end of the coronavirus pandemic. It took four workers three hours to carry the massive mask on ropes up the 57 m-high (187 ft) white statue of the Buddhist goddess Kannon - the Goddess of Mercy - at the Houkokuji Aizu Betsuin temple in Fukushima Prefecture. The statue, built 33 years ago, is hollow with a spiral staircase that can be climbed to the height of the goddess' shoulder. People visit the statue, which is holding a baby, to pray for the safe delivery of babies and to ask for blessings for their newborns.
Source: reuters.com
Hollywood actor Russell Crowe announced plans on Wednesday to build a film studio on Australia's east coast, amid a rush of movie productions Down Under. The Oscar-winner said the studio would be constructed in Coffs Harbour, south of Brisbane, at a sprawling pre-existing resort complex.
Source: france24.com
Astronauts blasting off on Thursday for China's first crewed mission to its new space station will have a choice of 120 different types of food and "space treadmills" for exercise, China's space agency said. The mission will be China's longest crewed space mission to date and the first in nearly five years, as Beijing pushes forward with its ambitious programme to establish itself as a space power.
Source: france24.com
Leftist candidate Pedro Castillo has won the most votes in Peru's close-run presidential run-off election. With all ballots now counted, Mr Castillo has just over 50% of the votes - 44,000 more than right-wing contender Keiko Fujimori. But Mr Castillo cannot be declared the winner until electoral authorities have finished processing a slew of legal challenges brought by Ms Fujimori. She has claimed electoral fraud, but has not provided any detailed evidence.
Source: bbc.com
Several people have been taken to hospital to receive treatment for injuries caused by a protestor who parachuted into the Allianz Arena during France's win over Germany. European football's governing body Uefa said "law authorities will take the necessary action" for what it called a "reckless and dangerous" act. Debris fell on to the pitch and stands when the parachutist got tangled in wires carrying an overhead camera. The man landed heavily on the pitch. He had the words "Kick out oil Greenpeace" written on his parachute and was given medical attention before being escorted away by security.
Source: bbc.com
The only reformist candidate in Iran’s upcoming presidential election dropped out of the race Wednesday on the last day of campaigning, state media reported, likely trying to boost the chances of a moderate candidate. Mohsen Mehralizadeh, 64, resigned in a letter to Iran’s Interior Ministry, which runs elections in the Islamic Republic. Mehralizadeh’s departure likely will boost former Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati, who has been running as a moderate and as a stand-in for President Hassan Rouhani, who is term limited from running again.
Source: apnews.com
Israel mounted air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the first since the end of 11 days of cross-border fighting last month, in response to incendiary balloons launched from the Palestinian territory. The flare-up, a first test for Israel's new government, followed a march in East Jerusalem on Tuesday by Jewish nationalists that had drawn threats of action by Hamas, the ruling militant group in Gaza.
Source: reuters.com
Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used to make various products. Researchers from Notre Dame University tested more than 200 popular cosmetics being sold in US and Canada. They found high levels of fluorine in 52% - an indicator of PFAS in the product. Previous research has linked certain. PFAS to a range of health issues, including kidney cancer, testicular cancer, hypertension and thyroid disease.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
A French court ordered home furnishings giant Ikea to pay some 1.1 million euros ($1.3 million) in fines and damages Tuesday over a campaign to spy on union representatives, employees and some unhappy customers in France. Two former Ikea France executives were convicted and fined over the scheme and given suspended prison sentences. Among the other 13 defendants in the high-profile trial, some were acquitted and others given suspended sentences.
Source: apnews.com
A prominent contender in Iran’s presidential election appealed Tuesday for better economic and political relations with the West, his most extensive attempt yet to attract reformist voters just days ahead of the poll. Former Iranian Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati, among the seven candidates allowed on the ballot for Friday’s vote, has no official ties to any political faction but is positioning himself as the likely candidate for moderate and reform-minded voters.
Source: apnews.com
A large majority of the 15-nation UN Security Council called Monday for free and fair elections to go ahead in coup-hit Mali without the participation of its current leaders. The volatile west African nation has announced a new government with army figures in key roles, in the wake of an internationally condemned coup led by Colonel Assimi Goita last month.
Source: france24.com
Thousands of treasure seekers have flocked to KwaHlathi village in South Africa, believing the area could contain diamonds. It comes after a man dug up a crystal-like stone in an open field and put out word of the discovery. The stones haven't been analysed by geological experts yet, and authorities have asked people on site to leave so that a proper investigation can be carried out.
Source: bbc.com
At least 15 people were killed on Tuesday in a suicide bombing at an army camp in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Officials at Madina Hospital confirmed the dead were killed in an attack earlier in the day at an army camp. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Islamist group al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings in the Horn of Africa country.
Source: reuters.com
At least 18 people were killed, including doctors, after shells hit the al Shiifa hospital in Afrin, northern Syria on Sunday, leaving the maternity ward and emergency room in ruins. It is not clear who was behind the attack that also wounded dozens and came from areas where both Syrian government troops and Kurdish-led fighters are deployed. Although the Syrian American Medical Society, which operates in the hospital, has called for an investigation into the deadly attack, local authorities do not seem to see much need, pointing the finger at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s biggest foes: Kurdish rebels.
Source: france24.com
Jameela Jamil will take her first steps into the Marvel-verse as she joins the cast of Disney+’s She-Hulk, Deadline has confirmed. The Good Place actress will play Titania, a supervillain first introduced to the Marvel-verse in 1984 and created by Jim Shooter. She joins previously announced cast members Tatiana Maslany, Mark Ruffalo, Tim Roth, Ginger Gonzaga and Renée Elise Goldsberry. Ruffalo will reprise his role as The Hulk and Roth will return as The Abomination, a character he previously played for The Incredible Hulk film.
Source: deadline.com
Almost a third of residents in the EU relied on personal connections to access healthcare during the Covid crisis, and around one in five in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Lithuania paid a bribe for such services, a report on corruption has found. Across the EU’s 27 member states, nearly two-thirds (62%) of the 40,000 respondents in a survey conducted by Transparency International said corruption in their government was a major problem and three-quarters (76%) said it had been stagnating or getting worse.
Source: theguardian.com
Newsfeed
Videos
Artur Vanetsyan: I think you'll see me more often at various events in future
