Friday, March 13

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German stabbing suspect is 26-year-old Syrian man who admitted to the crime
World News

German stabbing suspect is 26-year-old Syrian man who admitted to the crime

By Tom Sims, Reuters Emergency services in Solingen after three people were killed in a stabbing. Photo: Gianni Gattus / DPA / AFP The suspect in custody for a stabbing rampage in the western German city of Solingen that killed three people and injured eight is a 26-year-old Syrian man, authorities said early on Sunday (local time). The suspect turned himself in and admitted to the crime, Duesseldorf police and prosecutors said in a joint statement. "The involvement of this person is currently under intensive investigation," they said. The attack, for which the Islamic State group claimed responsibility, occurred on Friday evening in the Fronhof, a market square where live bands were playing at a festival to celebrate Solingen's 650-year history. Mourners have made a makeshift memori...
Major Israel-Hezbollah missile exchange as region watches for escalation
World News

Major Israel-Hezbollah missile exchange as region watches for escalation

By Maytaal Angel and Maya Gebeily, Reuters This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel on 25 August. Photo: AFP / JALAA MAREY Hezbollah launches hundreds of missiles at northern Israel Attack follows assassination of Hezbollah commander in Beirut Israel says pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon stopped bigger attack Hezbollah says attack has been completed, denies plans thwarted by Israeli strikes Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel early on Sunday, as Israel's military said it struck Lebanon with around 100 jets to thwart a bigger attack, in one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare. Missiles were visible curling up through the dawn sky, dark vapour...
Italian thief caught red-handed after sitting down to read book mid-burglary
World News

Italian thief caught red-handed after sitting down to read book mid-burglary

Photo: 123rf An alleged thief was caught in Rome after sitting down to read a book during a burglary, according to Italian media. The 38-year-old is accused of using the balcony of a building to break into an apartment while the owner slept. However, once inside, he became distracted by a book on a bedside table, and halted the burglary so he could read. According to local media, the 71-year-old homeowner woke up and confronted the man, who was sitting down on a bed, engrossed in the pages. The alleged thief tried to escape, but was arrested shortly afterward. The man told police he was not breaking in, but trying to visit someone he knew, Italian media reported. The book, Gli Dei alle sei. L'Iliade all'ora dell'aperitivo, examines Homer's Iliad from the point of view of the gods. Author...
Telegram messaging app CEO arrested in France – reports
World News

Telegram messaging app CEO arrested in France – reports

Telegram, particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union, is ranked as one of the major social media platforms. Photo: Victor Okhrimets / 123RF Pavel Durov, the Russian-French billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, TF1 TV and BFM TV said, citing unidentified sources. Durov was travelling aboard his private jet, TF1 said on its website, adding he had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation. TF1 and BFM both said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app. Durov faces possible...
Why mpox vaccines are only just arriving in Africa after two years
World News

Why mpox vaccines are only just arriving in Africa after two years

By Jennifer Rigby, Reuters A patient with mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: CDC / IMAGE POINT FR / IMAGE POINT FR / BSIP via AFP WHO's slow process delayed vaccine access for Congo First 10,000 doses in Africa going to Nigeria, not Congo Conflict and slow Congo response also delayed vaccines The first 10,000 mpox vaccines are finally due to arrive next week in Africa, where a dangerous new strain of the virus - which has afflicted people there for decades - has caused global alarm. The slow arrival of the shots - which have already been made available in more than 70 countries outside Africa - showed that lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic about global healthcare inequities have been slow to bring change, half a dozen public health officials and scientists ...
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore at risk of space anaemia due to prolonged stay
Health

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore at risk of space anaemia due to prolonged stay

As NASA delays the return of Indian-Origin Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), health experts pointed the risks to the human body because of prolonged stay in microgravity. Williams and Willmore became the first to ride Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5. The eight-day mission to the ISS has now extended to more than two months in space for the duo. NASA officials have expressed concern that technical glitches on Starliner may pose risks while de-orbiting on Earth. The space agency is expected to decide on Starliner`s safety levels. If it deems Starliner unfit, the astronaut duo will likely return onboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025. However, the extended mission is likely to increase their exposure to microgravity an...
Unlikely generators will have to dip into the water supply reserves – Meridian
Business

Unlikely generators will have to dip into the water supply reserves – Meridian

Lake Pukaki Photo: Susan Rebergen Meridian believes it's increasingly unlikely generators will have to dip into the water supply reserves in the hydro lakes. Power supplies and prices are under threat because of low lake levels. But Transpower is making it easier for generators to access reserves in some lakes from next month. On Thursday, it announced generators can take more water from lakes Pūkaki, Tekapo (Takapō) and Hāwea during September and October if needed, to help stave off an electricity shortage. Meridian spokesperson Chris Ewers said there has been some welcome rain over the past week and more is forecast. He said Meridian also has six wind farms that regularly provide 25 percent of power it needs and higher winds are also forecast. Ewers added the company is reasonably con...
Best Ayurvedic hotels in Sri Lanka for the ultimate restorative break
Life Style

Best Ayurvedic hotels in Sri Lanka for the ultimate restorative break

Using expertise meticulously preserved over the years, Ayurvedic healers advocate plant and herbal treatment preparations, yogic poses, energy-increasing breathing techniques (Pranayama), natural herbal medicines, and oftentimes, a complete diet overhaul depending on your dosha type. There are three of these: Vata (air and space), kapha (water and earth), and pitta (fire) — with each of us thought to have a dominant dosha and differing quantities of the other two. Source link
The Democrats working inside the party to persuade Kamala Harris to stop weapons for Israel
World News

The Democrats working inside the party to persuade Kamala Harris to stop weapons for Israel

By Brad Ryan in Chicago, ABC Thousands of Pro-Palestine protesters march through Chicago during the Democratic national convention, on 21 August, to demand an end to the war on Gaza. Photo: AFP/ JW Hendricks While America's Democratic diehards enjoyed pep talks and pop music at their party-vibes convention this week, a smaller panel event on the sidelines was striking a very different tone. The first speaker, Hala Hijazi, was in tears before she'd even finished introducing herself to the room. "I'm here because I've had over 100 of my family killed in Gaza," Hijazi said. "Just two last week." For years, Hijazi has served the Democratic Party and its causes in San Francisco: fundraising, doorknocking for candidates, and serving on the board of a group that trains Democratic women to r...
Tui brewery in Mangatainoka no longer producing beer after 130 years
Business

Tui brewery in Mangatainoka no longer producing beer after 130 years

The historic Tui Brewery building in Mangatainoka. Photo: RNZ / Denise Garland The iconic Tui brewery in the Tararua township of Mangatainoka is no longer producing any beer, after more than 130 years. Beer has been brewed at the Mangatainoka site since 1889. DB Breweries, which owns the Tui brand, made the decision to close the main production plant in 2015, but installed a smaller, modern brewery in order to continue to supply its taproom and local community with specialty brews. But Marketing Director at DB Breweries, Fraser Shrimpton, has now confirmed it stopped brewing at Mangatainoka three years ago. "The [Covid-19] pandemic restrictions through 2020 and 2021 largely prevented DB from operating the brewery and we shifted the remainder of this production to our Timaru and Auckland...