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Families of Saudi Arabian prisoners of conscience have begged Lionel Messi not to be “used” by the country’s regime to “launder its reputation”, after the Barcelona star has reportedly received an offer to become the face of the kingdom’s tourist board. ‘Visit Saudi’ are currently on a publicity drive, and have been seeking high-profile stars to endorse their campaign, with Messi reportedly being the prime target.
Source: independent
The United States launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities used by Iranian-backed militia groups. The Pentagon said the strikes were in retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member and other coalition troops.
Source: nbcnews.com
A zoo worker in Spain has died after he was struck by an elephant’s trunk, knocking his head against the bars of an enclosure, the zoo and local officials said. The female elephant weighing around 4,000kg hit the 44-year-old with her trunk on Wednesday morning at the Cabarceno Natural Park near the northern city of Santander.
Source: theguardian
A Boeing Co 777 aircraft operated by Rossiya Airlines made an emergency landing in Moscow at 4:44 a.m. local time due to engine trouble, less than a week after a similar aircraft flown by United Airlines Holdings Inc suffered a dramatic blowout over Denver, shedding debris onto neighborhoods below.
Source: chinadailyhk.com
Lady Gaga is offering $500,000 for the return of her two French bulldogs - Koji and Gustav, after someone stole them and shot the man who walked her dogs Wednesday evening in Hollywood. The victim is "recovering well," according to the sources close to Gaga. A third bulldog, named Miss Asia ran away and was later recovered by police.
Source: bbc.com
The actor found global fame with The Crown and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, following a prolific and acclaimed career in the theatre and on television.
Source: theguardian
The bus is equipped with sensors and cameras and links Málaga’s port to the city centre on an 8km loop it does six times a day. Self-driving vehicle can interact with traffic lights and is the first project of its kind in Europe.
Source: theguardian
The captive daughter of Dubai's ruler, has appealed to UK police to re-investigate the kidnap of her older sister from a Cambridge street more than 20 years ago. In a letter Latifa tells Cambridgeshire police this could help free Princess Shamsa, who was captured on the orders of their father. Shamsa, who was just 18 then and is now 39, has not been seen in public since.
Source: bbc.com
Italian ambassador Luca Attanasio and Italian carabiniere, or paramilitary police officer, Vittorio Iacovacci, died on Monday after their car was attacked as they traveled in a UN convoy in the eastern part of the Central African country. A third man, Congolese driver Moustapha Milambo, was also killed.
Source: cnn.com
The Brazil international's former club Internacional has confirmed that the father of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has died after drowning in a lake in a tragic accident. The body of 57-year-old Jose Agostinho Becker was found after he had been reported as missing.
Source: goal.com
President Joe Biden on Wednesday lifted a freeze on green cards issued by his predecessor during the pandemic that lawyers said was blocking most legal immigration to the United States.
Source: nbcnews.com
It said proof of a jab should not be required because there remain 'critical unknowns regarding the efficacy of vaccination in reducing transmission'.
Source: dailymail
The company said it acted after deciding "the risks of allowing the Tatmadaw [Myanmar military] on Facebook and Instagram are too great".
Source: bbc.com
The minority community of several hundred thousand was decimated first by al Qaeda’s rise in the early 2000s and later by Islamic State, the extremist group that brutally persecuted them and other minority faiths and sects from 2014-2017. Pope Francis’ visit from March 5-8 is welcome recognition of how they have suffered for their beliefs.
Source: reuters.com
Talking to someone on the phone for 10 minutes multiple times a week - if you're in control of the conversation - can decrease loneliness. Half of the 240 study participants were selected to receive brief phone calls from volunteers over the course of a month, and they reported feeling 20% less lonely on average.
Source: cnn.com
Daily new cases have plummeted, dropping from a peak of over 90,000 infections in September down to just over 10,000 a day in February. On February 9, the capital Delhi reported zero virus deaths for the first time in nearly nine months. Experts speculate that several factors are likely behind the decline in India's case numbers, such as the country's younger population or the possibility of rising immunity in urban areas. But there's also the possibility that the case count doesn't reflect reality.
Source: cnn.com
Customs authorities in Germany and Belgium have seized a record of more than 23 tonnes of cocaine that was destined for the Netherlands. German officials discovered 16 tonnes in five shipping containers that had arrived in the port of Hamburg from Paraguay earlier this month. Further in the Netherlands 7.2 tonnes of cocaine was seized by the police at the Belgian port of Antwerp.
Source: bbc.com
More than 90 per cent of people who have had two doses of the Pfizer vaccine have high levels of Covid antibodies, a major study has found. New data from Imperial College London also showed that those who have previously had Covid had a strong immune response after a single dose.
Source: thesun
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