China megacity mass-tests, cancels flights after suspected Covid case

                                     

BEIJING: The Chinese megacity of Guangzhou on Thursday cancelled hundreds of flights and began testing 5.6 million people over one suspected Covid case, part of an escalating battle across the country to extinguish the virus.

Singapore executes man after rejecting mental disability appeal

Why I was banned in the US – Comedian Bovi

Popular Nigerian comedian, Bovi Ugboma, on Tuesday revealed that he has been banned from entering the United States.
     

Tuchel reveals why Rüdiger is dumping Chelsea for Real Madrid

                                           

Sources close to Rudiger say Manchester United made the highest offer but that the German centre-back didn’t want to compete for any club in England other than Chelsea 

Elon Musk strikes deal to buy Twitter for $44bn

                                

The board of Twitter has agreed to a $44bn (£34.5bn) takeover offer from the billionaire Elon Musk.

Mr Musk, who made the shock bid less than two weeks ago, said Twitter had "tremendous potential" that he would unlock.

This May Be The #1 Best Vitamin to Fight Cancer, New Research Says It's naturally found in a variety of foods. By Desirée O

While you can embrace the best eating habit to lower your risk of cancer and, at the same time, do your best to avoid foods that have been linked to the disease, there is also a vitamin that can apparently help to boost the body's ability to fight cancer.

Kane Tanaka: Japanese woman certified world's oldest person dies

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A Japanese woman officially certified as the world's oldest person has died aged 119.

Kane Tanaka was born in 1903, the same year as George Orwell, at a time when Japan was emerging as a global power. 

BREAKING NEWS: Russia is rocked by two huge fires at fuel depot and military facility

Russia was hit today by a major fire following huge explosions at an oil storage depot in Bryansk city in a suspected strike by Ukraine.  

Bangalore Traffic Police deploys ANPR cameras to auto-detect offenders

The Bangalore Traffic Police has deployed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras which can help single out offenders in the densest of roads.

'He went to nut me': Tyson Fury accuses Dillian Whyte of 'cheating' during title fight

Christians celebrate ‘Holy Fire’ ceremony in tense Jerusalem

 

Thousands of Christians have celebrated the traditional “Holy Fire” ceremony of blazing candles at the Holy Sepulchre church, Christianity’s holiest site in Jerusalem, to mark the eve of Orthodox Easter.

Buhari, Tinubu, govs, monarchs mourn as Alaafin dies at 83, buried

Chief Imam of Oyo State, Masud Ajokidero (middle) leading a funeral prayer for the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemir during the burial of the Alaafin at his palace in Oyo town... on Saturday. Photo: NAN

Japan school gets $27,000 water bill because teacher wanted to ‘prevent Covid'

The teacher, who has not been identified, thought a constant flow of fresh water into the pool would keep it Covid free and left the tap on from late June to early September.

Satellite images appear to show new mass graves allegedly made for Mariupol residents killed in the war

Satellite images released Thursday appeared to show more than 200 new graves in a town where Ukrainian officials say the Russians have been burying Mariupol residents killed in the fighting. 

Cristiano Ronaldo shares touching picture of newborn girl after loss of her twin brother

    

Cristiano Ronaldo has shared a moving picture of his family with their newborn daughter - just days after the tragic death of her twin brother.

Queen Elizabeth Celebrates Her 96th Birthday with Her Most Majestic Photo Ever!

The monarch will quietly spend her birthday in Sandringham — a place loved by her late husband Prince Philip

Russia tests nuclear-capable missile that Putin calls world's best

                       

In a show of strength two months into its assault on Ukraine, Russia test-launched a new nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile which President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday would make Moscow's enemies stop and think.

Arsenal produce at crucial moment

                               

The Gunners' hopes of securing a place in next season's Champions League had been significantly damaged by those losses but this win will provide renewed belief.

American man sues employer after unwanted birthday party, gets awarded US$450,000

                                  

After getting fired over a birthday party at the office, a man in Kentucky has been awarded US$450,000 (RM1.9 million) in damages.

The plaintiff sued his former employer, Gravity Diagnostics, on the grounds of disability discrimination and retaliation.

Strong winds up to 80 km/hr expected to hit Toronto

                            

Environment Canada has issued a special weather alert for the City of Toronto, warning of strong winds and possible power outages.

Boat capsizes off Libya, leaving 35 people dead or presumed dead

A boat carrying 35 people has capsized off the Libyan coast, the UN migration agency has said.

Writer Who Started ASAP Rocky Cheating Rumors Issues Apology While Amina Muaddi Also Chimes In

 Black Twitter has been stressedu out over rumors that A$AP Rocky was cheating on his very pregnant girlfriend Rihanna. 

UK archbishop slams govt’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda

The leader of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, on Sunday, criticised the British government’s plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda to process their claims.

The pope makes an Easter plea for peace in Ukraine, citing a nuclear risk

VATICAN CITY — On what is supposed to be Christianity's most joyful day, Pope Francis made an anguished Easter Sunday plea for peace in the "senseless" war in Ukraine and in other armed conflicts raging in the world, and cited the "troubling" risk of nuclear warfare.

A South Carolina death row inmate picks a firing squad over the electric chair

A South Carolina prisoner scheduled to be the first man executed in the state in more than a decade has decided to die by firing squad rather than in the electric chair later this month, according to court documents filed Friday.

Five arrested in cocaine bust off Spain's Canary Islands

Two women prisoners in US jail get pregnant after having s*x with trans inmate

Two inmates at New Jersey’s Edna Mahan Correctional Facility have become pregnant after having sex with a transgender inmate. According to NJ.com, 

Rain continues to hit South Africa’s flood-ravaged east

South Africa’s flood-ravaged east was hit by more rain after the deadliest storm to strike the country in living memory killed nearly 400 people and left tens of thousands homeless.

Russian oligarch’s super yacht arrives in Turkish waters

A yacht linked to a Russian aluminium tycoon arrived in a bay near the southwestern Turkish resort of Gocek on Saturday, as more Russian billionaires head for Turkey to flee Western sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.     

N Korea tests new weapon that ‘will boost nuclear capabilities’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has observed the test firing of a “new type of tactical guided weapon” aimed at boosting the country’s nuclear capabilities, according to state media.      

Man arrested for stealing 2 kids in Ogun church

 

A middle-aged man, Sakiru Famuyiwa, was arrested on Good Friday for allegedly stealing two children during church service in the Ijeja area of Abeokuta, Ogun State.  

Man in India dies by self-immolation after his boss asks for s*x with his wife in exchange for transfer

man in India has died by self-immolation after his boss reportedly demanded to have sex with his wife in exchanger for a transfer.    

12 military impersonators arrested in Lagos, Ogun

                     

Nigerian Army operatives have arrested over 12 suspected impersonators clad in military uniforms in Lagos and Ogun states.

26 Die, Others Missing In Sokoto Boat Mishap

                       
Twenty six persons have been confirmed dead while search and rescue operation has continued for others involved in a boat mishap that occurred on Shagari River in Shagari local government area of Sokoto State on Tuesday evening.

Manchester City reach the Champions League semi-finals 1-0 on aggregate.

                          

Manchester City produced a disciplined performance to secure a fractious 0-0 draw at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday and reach the Champions League semi-finals 1-0 on aggregate.

More than $2.6M lost to cryptocurrency frauds in less than four months: RCMP

                                    

RICHMOND, B.C. - RCMP in Richmond, B.C., say they have received 22 reports of alleged cryptocurrency fraud since January with losses topping $2.6 million.

A statement from the detachment says Richmond residents are mainly being snared in one of three common scams.

Erik ten Hag: Man Utd on brink of appointing Ajax boss

 

Ajax boss Erik ten Hag is on the brink of being confirmed as Manchester United's new manager.

United say no deal has been done but sources in the Netherlands suggest an agreement in principle is in place.

In California, an army of genetically engineered mosquitoes awaits release. Will it backfire?

                   

In the mosquito breeding rooms of British biotech company Oxitec, scientists line up fresh eggs, each the size of a grain of salt. Using microscopic needles, the white-coated researchers inject each egg with a dab of a proprietary synthetic DNA.

For four days, Oxitec technicians care for the eggs, watching for those that hatch into wriggling brown larvae. Those “injection survivors,” as the company calls them, face a battery of tests to ensure their genetic modification is successful.

Soon, millions of these engineered mosquitoes could be set loose in California in an experiment recently approved by the federal government.

Oxitec, a private company, says its genetically modified bugs could help save half the world’s population from the invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can spread diseases such as yellow fever, chikungunya and dengue to humans. Female offspring produced by these modified insects will die, according to Oxitec’s plan, causing the population to collapse.

“Precise. Environmentally sustainable. Non-toxic,” the company says on its website of its product trademarked as the “Friendly” mosquito.

Scientists independent from the company and critical of the proposal say not so fast. They say unleashing the experimental creatures into nature has risks that haven’t yet been fully studied, including possible harm to other species or unexpectedly making the local mosquito population harder to control.

Even scientists who see the potential of genetic engineering are uneasy about releasing the transgenic insects into neighborhoods because of how hard such trials are to control.

“There needs to be more transparency about why these experiments are being done,” said Natalie Kofler, a bioethicist at Harvard Medical School who has followed the company’s work. “How are we weighing the risks and benefits?”

She pointed out that the possible benefits of the technology in California are lower than they would be in more tropical regions of the world where mosquito-borne disease outbreaks often threaten humans. California has never had a case in which an Aedes aegypti was found to transmit disease.

A captured Aedes aegypti mosquito is shown in 2016 at the Florida Mosquito Control District Office in Marathon, Fla.
(Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)

Nathan Rose, Oxitec’s head of regulatory affairs, said the company chose California because the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have spread rapidly after being discovered in the state about a decade ago. The tiny, aggressive day-biters can lay eggs in a space as small as a water-filled bottle cap left in the backyard.

Rose noted that the company found its mosquito reduced the population in a Brazilian neighborhood by 95% in just 13 weeks.

So far, Oxitec has released little of its data from that experiment or from a more recent release in the Florida Keys. It hasn’t yet published any of those results in a peer-reviewed scientific journal — publications that scientists expect when evaluating a new drug or technology.

On March 7, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it had granted Oxitec a permit to release its transgenic insects on 29,400 acres in the counties of San Bernardino, Fresno, Stanislaus and Tulare.

The company plans to start the release in northern Tulare County in the Central Valley, where it has partnered with the local mosquito control district based in the city of Visalia.

The experiment must still be approved by the state Department of Pesticide Regulation.
Inserting synthetic DNA into mosquitoes

To create its mosquito, known as the OX5034, Oxitec started with Aedes aegypti captured in Mexico’s Chiapas state. Its scientists then inserted into the insects a synthetic DNA sequence they call the “self-limiting” gene.

When the engineered male mosquitoes are released into neighborhoods and mate with the wild bugs, the gene works to kill the female offspring, Oxitec said. The male progeny fly away to mate with more of the local mosquito population, further spreading the company’s gene, which it says is lethal only to the Aedes aegypti and not other species.

The company said that because it is releasing only males there is no danger of the public being bitten by an engineered insect. Only female mosquitoes bite and carry disease.

Oxitec scientists also inserted a fluorescent marker gene into the modified bugs. That gene produces a protein to make its mosquitoes glow when exposed to a specific color of light so that the company can track them.

Genetically modified aedes aegypti mosquitoes are held in a container before being released in Panama City in 2016.
(Arnulfo Franco / Associated Press)

The company plans to use the data from the California experiment to try to gain full commercial approval of its engineered mosquitoes from the EPA — a goal that would substantially increase the private company’s value. It uses the same technology in myriad other invasive pests, including the fall armyworm and the soybean looper, which it hopes to sell in the U.S. and around the world.

Oxitech is owned by Third Security, a private company in Virginia founded by billionaire Randal J. Kirk. The former lawyer became wealthy through founding and investing in pharmaceutical companies. He received more than $1 billion in 2007 when his company New River Pharmaceuticals and its attention deficit disorder drug called Vyvanse were purchased by Shire.

More recently, Kirk has focused on experimental products created through genetic engineering. Another of his investments is the genetically modified salmon created by the company AquaBounty to grow faster with less food. AquaBounty is now farm-raising the modified fish for commercial sale at facilities in Indiana and on Prince Edward Island.


Experiment in the Central Valley

When it comes to the environment, growing modified fish inside a factory raises different issues than releasing winged experimental creatures into the wild, which the company hopes to do soon in Tulare County if state regulators agree.

Oxitec has proposed releasing its mosquitoes at 48 different locations in the county. Under the plan, the company said it would release a maximum of 3.5 million mosquitoes a week.

“This is alarming,” said Angel Garcia, who lives near Visalia, where the first engineered bugs may be released. “Residents have not been consulted and they have not consented to being part of this.”

Garcia, who does outreach to local residents as part of his job for the nonprofit group Californians for Pesticide Reform, pointed to a hiring event that Oxitec hosted in Visalia on March 17. A company flyer said it was hiring field and lab technicians.

“It’s as if this is already a done deal,” he said.

Rose told The Times that the company was still waiting for state approval while also continuing with plans to build a research facility in Visalia to aid in the work...

Dozens dead in Philippines landslides, flooding: Authorities

                                   

MANILA: At least 24 people have been killed in landslides and flooding across central and southern Philippines, authorities said on Monday (Apr 11), after a storm dumped heavy rain and disrupted travel ahead of the Easter holidays.

Ronaldo: Police investigating after Manchester United forward appears to break fan's phone

                           

Merseyside Police are investigating an alleged assault after Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to break a fan's phone.

Footage was shared on social media alongside comments claiming he smashed the device as he left the pitch after his side's 1-0 loss at Everton.

Ronaldo, 37, later apologised on social media.

Merseyside Police said they were investigating "reports of an alleged assault" at Goodison Park on Saturday.

A spokesperson said they were liaising with both Manchester United and Everton.

"As players were leaving the pitch at 2.30pm, it was reported that a boy was assaulted by one of the away team as they left the pitch," they added.

"Inquiries are under way and officers are currently working with Everton to review CCTV footage and are carrying out extensive witness enquiries to establish if an offence has taken place.

"Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police contact centre quoting reference number 228 of 9 April 2022."

Manchester United said they were aware of "an alleged incident" and would "co-operate with any police inquiries".

The result damaged United's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League and came against an Everton side who had been one point above the relegation zone before kick-off.

"It's never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing," said Portugal international Ronaldo.

"Nevertheless, we always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game.

"I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair play and sportsmanship."

Australian election campaign begins, polls show opposition ahead

                          

SYDNEY: Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison extended his lead as the country's preferred leader but his government could still lose the federal election to be held next month, a poll showed on Monday (Apr 11), the first day of the official campaign.

Indonesian leader denies delay of 2024 polls to extend term

                               

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo on Sunday denied that his administration was attempting to delay the 2024 presidential elections after senior politicians including his close ally supported the idea of extending his stay in office beyond the two-term legal mandate.

Liverpool v Man City showdown was like watching heavyweight boxers, says Klopp

                                

MANCHESTER, England : Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said watching his side going toe-to-toe with Premier League leaders Manchester City in their exhilarating 2-2 draw on Sunday was like watching two heavyweight boxers going at it.

16 Malaysians duped by fake job offers in Cambodia rescued

                            

KUALA LUMPUR: Sixteen Malaysians who were allegedly duped by lucrative job offers as customer service officers in Cambodia have been rescued, authorities said in a statement on Saturday (Apr 9).

Imran Khan ousted as Pakistan's PM after vote

                   

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has been ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership.

The vote was held past midnight after opposition parties brought a motion against him, following days of drama.

FG unveils new NSCDC uniform to be worn Tuesdays

                                        

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on Friday unveiled a new uniform for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), adding to the agency’s array of uniforms.    

French election: Macron faces stiffest test as France votes

                         

French voters go to the polls on Sunday in the opening round of a presidential race that could become a cliffhanger.

Emmanuel Macron has a fight on his hands from far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, who has been galvanised by a slick election campaign.

Fight between Instagram influencer and boyfriend ends with his fatal stabbing inside luxury Miami apartment: police

                                

An altercation inside a Miami high-rise between an Instagram influencer and her boyfriend turned deadly over the weekend.

Zimbabwe - Chaos as female teachers abandon their houses after being r*ped by se_x starved ‘snakes and goblins’

                                   
Randy goblins have unleashed a reign of terror in Nkayi’s Hojeni Village, with their insatiable se_xual attacks forcing teachers at Hojeni Primary School to flee their dwellings amid claims by villagers that the creatures belonged to villagers that sought wealth through black magic.

Russian ex-wife of Roman Abramovich secretly moved from NYC to Sardinia with new husband

                          

Dasha Zhukova, the daughter of a Russian oligarch and ex-wife of billionaire Roman Abramovich, has secretly moved to Sardinia with her new husband Stavros Niarchos, a Greek shipping heir, sources say.

Shane McMahon’s Son Commits to Play College Football

Photo credit: @ODmcmahon 

The oldest grandchild to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon announced this week that he is set to become a Hoosier. Declan, born on February 13, 2004, noted on Twitter that he visited with several schools in recent months, including Rutgers and Duke, but finally decided on Indiana this week.