Ozzy Osbourne has Covid-19

Covid

Sharon Osbourne is taking a break from her new work to assist her husband who got Covid-19. “The Talk UK,” Osbourne’s new talk show, tweeted a video on Thursday in which she tearfully shared the news that Ozzy Osbourne had tested positive. “But I spoke to him and he’s okay,” Osbourne said. “I am very worried about Ozzy … Read more

Samsung apologizes after backlash over latest advertisement

Samsung

Samsung’s latest commercial, which depicts a lady running alone at night with headphones on, has been dubbed “ridiculous” and “unrealistic.” A young woman running through the streets of a city alone at 2 a.m. appears in the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds commercial. ‘Night Owls’ is the title of the piece. ‘Your Galaxy. Your … Read more

Boris Becker sent to prison for two years

Boris Becker

Boris Becker was sentenced to two years and six months in prison after being found guilty of bankruptcy offences. Dean Beale, the Chief Executive of the Insolvency Service, said: “The Court has handed down a prison sentence to Boris Becker today after he was convicted of offences relating to his bankruptcy.” “Boris Becker’s sentence clearly … Read more

Laine Hardy, winner of ‘American Idol,’ arrested

American Idol

Laine Hardy, the winner of American Idol and a Louisiana native, was arrested on Friday and charged with spying communications at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. Hardy surrendered to the LSU Police Department on Thursday after a warrant was issued, according to WAFB. “Hardy was arrested by LSU Police today and booked into East … Read more

Taiwan launches Asian Pride Games despite spike in Covid cases

Taiwan kicked off the first Asian Pride Games on Friday with a colorful ceremony that drew hundreds of athletes and spectators, as the island abandons its zero-Covid policy despite an increase in infections. The games are the successor to The Straits Games, founded in Malaysia 20 years ago and considered the first international gay sports … Read more

State funeral for Kenya’s ex-president Kibaki

Kenya

On Friday, Kenya hosted a national funeral for former President Mwai Kibaki, who died last week at the age of 90 after a decade in rule defined by economic resurgence, scandal, and bloodshed. Kibaki was the third head of state in Kenya’s history, serving from December 2002 to April 2013 following the 20-year authoritarian regime … Read more

Colombian protesters clash with police on anniversary of unrest

protesters

Hundreds of demonstrators battled with police in various Colombian cities on the one-year anniversary of a huge revolt against outgoing conservative President Ivan Duque. In Bogota, Medellin and Popayan, hooded protesters threw stones, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at riot officers. Police responded with flash bombs, non-lethal ammunition and tear gas. One protester was wounded in … Read more

Klopp unsure if his own Liverpool deal will persuade Salah to stay

Mohamed Salah

Jurgen Klopp believes his new contract will not be the determining factor in whether Liverpool’s star attackers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane commit their long-term futures to the club. Salah and Mane, along with fellow attacker Roberto Firmino and midfielder Naby Keita, have contracts that expire next year. With Klopp now staying until 2026, there … Read more

Power cuts, forest fires in South Asia heatwave

Met office predicts severe heatwave conditions for next week

On Friday, power shortages added to the suffering of millions of people wilting in a heatwave throughout India and Pakistan, with experts blaming climate change for the early arrival of sweltering summer temperatures. In the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh hundreds of forest fires have broken out in recent weeks, eating up tinder-dry pine … Read more

‘War crimes’ in Bucha: What we know

Bucha

Since hundreds of remains were discovered near Kyiv following the withdrawal of Russian soldiers from the area, Ukraine and Western countries have accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine. A team of AFP journalists saw 20 bodies on Yablunska (Apple Tree) Street in Bucha on April 2. In the weeks that followed, AFP spoke to … Read more

Death on Yablunska: Four lives that ended in Bucha

ukraine

On Bucha’s Yablunska Street, they all took separate routes to death: a perilous evacuation, a borrowed bicycle, and a wounded parent. One of them was even born in Russia. But at the end of it all, at least 20 people in civilian clothes were found on a stretch of the street — victims of what … Read more

Man Utd’s Greenwood to remain on bail over rape allegations

Manchester United

Mason Greenwood, a Manchester United forward, has been granted bail until the middle of June following allegations that he raped and abused a young woman. The 20-year-old was arrested in January after images and videos were posted online. He was also questioned on suspicion of making threats to kill. Greenwood was released on conditional bail, which … Read more

Tearful goodbyes in Ukraine town as Russian forces approach

Ukraine

Pavel Borlatschenko sobbed as he watched his wife Marina board one of the last buses transporting civilians from Lyman, which is set to fall to Russian soldiers soon. Swirls of black smoke rise above a depot near the railway station after a morning strike in the town in the eastern Donbas region, where the Russian … Read more

Rebels kill six Central African soldiers

killed

A member of parliament for the region told AFP on Friday that six soldiers were killed in a rebel assault in the Central African Republic’s southeast, where civil war has raged for years. “At four in the morning, rebels attacked the town of Nzako,” near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, 700 kilometres … Read more

Deadlock in talks to run Afghan airports: officials

airports

Officials say talks between the Taliban and a Qatar-Turkey partnership to run Afghanistan’s five airports, including the capital, have come to a halt after the Islamists insisted on using their fighters to protect the facilities. Kabul’s only airport was trashed in August when tens of thousands of people rushed to evacuate on any available flight … Read more

Ed Balls Day 2022: Twitter users celebrate former MP today

Twitter

Today is Ed Balls Day, an annual tradition in which Twitter users gather to commemorate a memorable social media encounter. It’s been 11 years since the infamous social media blunder. It’s a day to commemorate a 2011 gaffe that has made social media users laugh for more than a decade—and no one is more amused … Read more

Barclays profit drops in first quarter on higher costs

Barclays

Barclays posted an 18% reduction in net earnings in the first quarter due to litigation and bad debt losses on Thursday. Profit after tax declined to £1.4 billion ($1.8 billion, 1.7 billion euros) compared with the first three months of 2021, Barclays said in an earnings statement. Barclays booked an already-flagged litigation hit of £500 million … Read more

Nokia’s Q1 profits eroded by Russia withdrawal

Russia

Nokia, the Finnish telecom equipment company, reported a 17 percent drop in quarterly profits owing to its exit from Russia and supply issues on Thursday, but said it would exceed its target for the year. The company said net profit stood at 219 million euros “primarily due to a 104 million euro ($230 million) provision related to … Read more