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Football supporters from across Europe have added to the growing concern over Champions League reforms, claiming proposed expansion will “cement the dominance of elite clubs in perpetuity”. With just weeks to go before Uefa executives are expected to decide on their Horizon 24 proposals, which would add four more Champions League matchdays and allow clubs to qualify based on historic performance in Europe, there is a late attempt to push back against the changes by those who feel their voices have been ignored.

Source: theguardian.com

About 3,000 police will be deployed to enforce a week-long curfew and lockdown in the central Indian city of Nagpur from Monday after a 60% jump in coronavirus cases there.

Source: reuters.com

The Canadian pop star, whose single Blinding Lights was the biggest-seller in the world last year, was not shortlisted for a single award. He later called the lack of recognition "an attack". In a new statement ahead of Sunday's ceremony, the singer said: "I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys."

Source: bbc.com

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused on Thursday Washington of following former President Donald Trump's "failed policy" on Iran, after US officials stated unwillingness to authorize the Republic of Korea (ROK) to unfreeze Iranian assets. Iran has repeatedly urged ROK to provide access to its assets of about 7 billion dollars, which has been blocked by the ROK banks on account of US sanctions imposed on Iran.

Source: chinadailyhk.com

King Goodwill Zwelithini of the Zulu nation in South Africa has died in hospital where he was being treated for diabetes-related issues. The king was the leader of South Africa's largest ethnic group and an influential traditional ruler. He had been admitted to hospital in KwaZulu-Natal last week to monitor his ongoing diabetes condition.

Source: bbc.com

The contacts are at the “intelligence and foreign ministry levels,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. Relations between Turkey and Egypt soured after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi toppled the country’s Islamist leader, Mohamed Mursi, in 2013. Since then Egypt and Turkey have also clashed over issues including maritime claims, Libya and Iraq.

Source: chinadailyhk.com

President Joe Biden has said he is hopeful that America can "mark independence" from Covid-19 on 4 July if people get vaccinated. In his first primetime address as president, Mr Biden said he would order states to make all adults eligible for vaccinations by 1 May.

Source: bbc.com

“When a country or region is gripped by conflict and hunger, they become mutually reinforcing…[and] cannot be resolved separately”, Secretary-General António Guterres said via videoconference to the meeting which focused on how conflict and food security are interlinked.
At the end of 2020, more than 88 million people were suffering from acute hunger due to conflict and instability – a 20 per cent surge in one year – and 2021 projections point to a continuation of this “frightening trend”, according to the top UN official.

Source: news.un.org

In the photograph by Vaghinak Ghazaryan a soldier lies in a trench, resting on a plastic cover, in the northeastern part of Syunikin, Nerkin Khndzoresk, Armenia.

Source: worldpressphoto.org
 

A California man was sentenced to more than two centuries in prison on Thursday for his plot to drive his partner and two autistic sons off a wharf at the Port of Los Angeles, killing his children, in order to collect life insurance money. A federal judge in California called Ali Elmezayen "nothing more than a greedy and brutal killer" during sentencing for the "evil and diabolical" plot.

Source: nbcnews.com

For the first time since 2005, neither Messi or Ronaldo will be part of the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier competition.

Source: independent

An Italian volleyball player who is being sued by her club for allegedly breaking her contract after becoming pregnant said she was being treated as if she had done something “illicit and malicious”. Politicians and Olympics chief back Lara Lugli, who was fired and is now being sued after requesting back pay.

Source: theguardian.com

Nokia has struck a deal with Samsung to license patents covering its innovations in video standards, the Finnish telecom company said on Thursday. While the companies did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement, Samsung will make royalty payments to Nokia.

Source: reuters.com

A bus carrying school children and parents returning from an excursion plunged into a ravine on the Indonesian island of Java on Wednesday night, the country's transportation ministry said. The search and rescue agency said in a statement on Thursday that the driver of the bus lost control shortly before the crash in an area near the city of Sumedang, in West Java province.

Source: cnn.com

UK singer Adele has finalised her divorce from ex husband Simon Konecki, Los Angeles court papers have shown. The Brit and Grammy-winner separated from the charity boss in April 2019.

Source: bbc.com

The last time Roger Federer won a match it was January 2020 and things looked a lot different. However after spending over a year out after knee surgery Federer is finally back and he has won his first match, beating Dan Evans by two sets to one. It kicks off Federer's 24th season as a tennis professional.

Source: eurosport.com

Japan has observed a moment’s silence to mark the 10th anniversary of an earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people and triggered a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima.

Source: theguardian.com

Two fishermen have bravely gone toe-to-toe with a rabid shark in shallow waters off a remote island just off Australia. Kane and Josh Hutchins were forced to furiously stab the water with their rods to avoid an attack on Cocos Keeling Island - a group of coral enclaves 2,750 kms northwest of Perth, Western Australia.

Source: dailymail