Friday, March 20

Business

China: Clampdown on bike rides after thousands of students take over highway to buy Kaifeng dumplings | World News
Business

China: Clampdown on bike rides after thousands of students take over highway to buy Kaifeng dumplings | World News

A clampdown has been enforced to curb a social media trend in China - where thousands of students rent bikes late at night to buy soup dumplings.Police in Henan province closed bike lanes connecting Zhengzhou and Kaifeng in a bid to reduce the number of students making the 37-mile journey. Pictures showed that the crowd of students - which was called the Night Riding Army by some taking part - had blocked a highway in central China on Friday night.Local outlets estimated that up to 200,000 young people had rented bikes - which cost as little as £1.51 for a month - to travel to Kaifeng for its famous guantangbao, a type of soup dumpling.Liu Lulu, a student at Henan University, told state media outlet China Daily: "People sang together and cheered for each other while climbing uphill togethe...
Kremlin denies Trump and Putin call discussing Ukraine – as Biden to urge president-elect ‘not to walk away’ from Kyiv | US News
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Kremlin denies Trump and Putin call discussing Ukraine – as Biden to urge president-elect ‘not to walk away’ from Kyiv | US News

The Kremlin has denied Donald Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin in a phone call the day after the presidential election.The US president-elect reportedly urged the Russian president not to escalate the war in Ukraine and reminded him of America's sizeable military presence in Europe during the conversation on Thursday, according to The Washington Post and Reuters, citing sources familiar with the call. According to several other sources, the pair went on to discuss the goal of peace on the continent, as well as the prospect of a further call soon to look into the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.Follow live: Putin has no plans to speak to TrumpBut on Monday, the Kremlin denied the reports and spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Putin has no specific plans to speak to Mr Trump at present. "T...
Trump and Putin ‘discuss Ukraine in call’ – as Biden to urge president-elect ‘not to walk away’ from Kyiv | US News
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Trump and Putin ‘discuss Ukraine in call’ – as Biden to urge president-elect ‘not to walk away’ from Kyiv | US News

Donald Trump urged Vladimir Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine in a phone call the day after the presidential election, according to reports.The US president-elect also reminded the Russian president of America's sizeable military presence in Europe during the conversation on Thursday, according to The Washington Post and Reuters, citing sources familiar with the call. According to several other sources, the pair went on to discuss the goal of peace on the continent, as well as the prospect of a further call soon to look into the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.US election latest: Trump 'held phone call with Putin'On Friday, the Kremlin said Mr Putin was ready to discuss Ukraine with Mr Trump - but that did not mean he was willing to alter Moscow's demands - namely that Ukraine...
Barbora Krejcikova: Tennis analyst Jon Wertheim taken off air over comment about Wimbledon champion’s forehead | World News
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Barbora Krejcikova: Tennis analyst Jon Wertheim taken off air over comment about Wimbledon champion’s forehead | World News

A tennis analyst has been taken off air after making "deeply regrettable comments" about Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova's appearance.The Czech player, 28, called out Jon Wertheim for what she called "coverage that focused on my appearance rather than my performance". The analyst made a comment that went to air on the US TV network Tennis Channel about the world number 10's forehead.Krejcikova, who also won a Grand Slam singles title at the 2020 French Open, was taking part in the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia this week, where she lost to Zheng Qinwen in the semi-finals on Friday. Image: Krejcikova during the US Open earlier this year. Pic: AP Apparently not aware he was on air, Wertheim, a prominent American tennis jour...
Alabama shooting: Teenager killed and 16 people injured in US university attack | US News
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Alabama shooting: Teenager killed and 16 people injured in US university attack | US News

One person has been killed and 16 others were injured in a shooting at a US university.Homecoming week at Tuskegee University, in Alabama, was marred early on Sunday by the attack on campus. An 18-year-old man died in the assault. He was not a university student, but some of the injured were.Of the 16 wounded, 12 were hurt by gunfire, authorities said."The parents of this individual [killed] have been notified. Several others including Tuskegee University students were injured and are receiving treatment at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery," the university said in a statement. No arrests were immediately announced by police and the FBI has joined the investigation.The injured included a female student who was shot in the stomach and a male stu...
Israel tells citizens not to attend cultural and sports events abroad after Amsterdam violence | World News
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Israel tells citizens not to attend cultural and sports events abroad after Amsterdam violence | World News

The Israeli government has told its citizens not to attend cultural or sports events abroad over the next week following violence in Amsterdam.The office of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed it has intelligence that pro-Palestinian groups overseas intended to harm Israelis in cities in the Netherlands, the UK, France, Belgium and others. The travel advice covers events which involve Israelis.It comes after Israeli football fans were attacked in the Dutch capital on Thursday following a match between local side Ajax and Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv.Explained: What we know about violence in Amsterdam On Sunday, more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters were taken away by police during a banned demonstration in Amsterdam after "antisemitic" violence in the wake of the game.Hu...
Benjamin Netanyahu says he and Donald Trump ‘see eye to eye’ on Iran | World News
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Benjamin Netanyahu says he and Donald Trump ‘see eye to eye’ on Iran | World News

Benjamin Netanyahu says he and Donald Trump "see eye to eye" on Iran.Israel's prime minister said he has spoken to the US president-elect three times since the election with the aim of tightening the alliance between their nations. Follow latest: Final US state delivers election result"These were good and very important conversations," Mr Netanyahu said in a statement."We see eye to eye on the Iranian threat in all its components, and the danger posed by it. We also see the great opportunities before Israel, in the field of peace and its expansion, and in other fields." Image: The aftermath of an Israeli strike outside a Gaza hospital where people have been living in tents. Pic: Reuters Israel and Iran have traded strikes ...
COP29 host suggests it can’t ditch gas because of EU demand – and plays down the Trump effect | Science, Climate & Tech News
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COP29 host suggests it can’t ditch gas because of EU demand – and plays down the Trump effect | Science, Climate & Tech News

Azerbaijan has to increase its gas production because of "commitments" to meet EU demand, its key official has implied, as it prepares to open the COP29 climate talks in Baku.In an exclusive interview with Sky News, lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev sought to dispel dark clouds gathering over the critical UN talks which begin on Monday. Fear has spread that the already shaky negotiations will struggle to make progress after the re-election of climate sceptic Donald Trump, a scandal around one of Mr Rafiyev's colleagues and the news that many EU leaders won't attend the Baku talks. Image: Azerbaijan is 'determined' to transform its fossil fuel-based energy system, Yalchin Rafiyev told Sky News But Mr Rafiyev says he remains "o...
Moscow targeted in biggest drone strike since invasion of Ukraine | World News
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Moscow targeted in biggest drone strike since invasion of Ukraine | World News

A woman has been injured and flights from major airports were disrupted after Moscow was hit with the biggest drone strike since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Russia's defence ministry said 70 drones were shot down overnight in its territory, including 34 over the outskirts of the capital. The federal air transport agency said the airports of Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky diverted at least 36 flights, but then resumed operations.A woman in her 50s suffered burns to her face, neck and hands after drone strikes sparked a blaze in her village southeast of Moscow, local governor Andrei Vorobyov said.No one was said to have been hurt in the city itself but Russian channels on the messaging app Telegram carried eyewitness reports of drone debris setting fire to suburban homes. "An attemp...
Mackenzie Michalski: Irish man allegedly admits killing US nurse at Budapest flat and dumping body near lake, say police | World News
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Mackenzie Michalski: Irish man allegedly admits killing US nurse at Budapest flat and dumping body near lake, say police | World News

An Irish man is suspected of killing a 31-year-old US nurse during an "intimate encounter" at his Budapest flat before dumping her body in woodland, according to police.Hungarian police said Mackenzie Michalski, from Portland in the US state of Oregon, was killed after meeting the 37-year-old man at a nightclub while she was on holiday in the city. Officers identified the suspect by the initials LTM and said he cleaned up his rented apartment in the Hungarian capital and put Ms Michalski's body in a wardrobe and then into a suitcase.He allegedly rented a car and drove 90 miles (150km) to Lake Balaton, where he is said to have disposed of the body in a wooded area near the village of Szigliget.Police video showed the suspect guiding them to where he left the body.Officers said he also searc...