Thousands gather as the funeral of former Pope Benedict XVI gets underway at the Vatican

Thousands of mourners have gathered in St Peter's Square at the Vatican for the funeral of former Pope Benedict XVI. 

Ukraine military says it killed 800 Russian soldiers in past day

Ukraine's military estimated on Thursday that 800 Russian soldiers were killed in the past day, mostly in fighting in the eastern Donetsk region, while Western allies pledged supplies of armoured battle vehicles but not the tanks Ukraine wants. 

Ex-funeral home directors get prison for selling body parts from 560 corpses

Two former funeral home directors in the US state of Colorado have been sentenced to prison for dissecting around 560 corpses and selling their body parts without their families’ consent.   

US House fails to elect new speaker in first rounds of voting

The new House GOP majority is locked in a chaotic once-in-a-century fight to determine who will serve as the next speaker after Republican Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the necessary support to win in three rounds of voting on Tuesday. The House is now adjourned until Wednesday at noon as Republicans scramble to find a path forward.      

Buhari Okays Tech Deployment To Combat Insecurity In South-East

Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo, says President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the deployment of advanced technology to tackle insecurity in the south-east.  

European countries are split on how to deal with s*x work as debate reaches EU Parliament

Up until June of this year, sex workers in Belgium were part of the underground economy: they had no access to social security, sick pay, loans or credit, nor did they pay tax.

    

Pakistan Announces Early Closure Of Markets, Wedding Halls To Save Energy

The government would also make the use of conical geysers mandatory within a year, which by using less gas would save Rs 92 billion, and alternative use of street lights would save another Rs 4 billion.  

South Korea fines Tesla $2.2 million for exaggerating driving range of EVs

South Korea's antitrust regulator said it would impose a 2.85 billion won ($2.2 million) fine on Tesla Inc for failing to tell its customers about the shorter driving range of its electric vehicles (EVs) in low temperatures.  

Cristiano Ronaldo has 'Newcastle clause' which could seal Premier League return

I thought I was dead, Ohakim speaks on convoy attack

Former Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim has broken his silence on his attack by gunmen on Monday and the killing of four policemen in his convoy. 

Elon Musk Becomes First Person Ever to Lose $200 Billion

Elon Musk was the second person ever to amass a personal fortune of more than $200 billion, breaching that threshold in January 2021, months after Jeff Bezos.  

Drugmakers to raise prices on at least 350 drugs in U.S. in January

Drugmakers including Pfizer Inc, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca PLC and Sanofi SA plan to raise prices in the United States on more than 350 unique drugs in early January, according to data analyzed by healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors. 
        

Australia and Canada are the latest countries to bring in travel restrictions on arrivals from China.

Travellers from China to Australia will need to present a negative COVID-19 test result from 5 January, the country's health minister Mark Butler said. 

Russia launches a wave of missiles at Ukraine in a massive New Year's Eve air attack

Russia intensified its air attacks against Ukraine, wrapping up a year of intense warfare against the country by firing cruise missiles and explosive drones at several cities. All 25 of Ukraine's administrative regions spent much of the day Saturday under air raid warnings. 

Hershey's faces a lawsuit over heavy metals in its dark chocolate bars

The Hershey Co. is being sued for allegedly failing to disclose the presence of lead and cadmium in several of its dark chocolate bars. 
 

$7,600 per child to move out of Tokyo Iris Jung -Japan offering families

[Source]

Japan is offering families 1 million yen (approximately $7,627) per child to move out of Tokyo in hopes of reducing overcrowding.
  

First pope to resign in 600 years, dies at 95-Benedict XVI

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign, has has died, the Vatican announced Saturday. He was 95.

Former Pope Benedict's condition remains "grave" but stable- Vatican

Massive fire at Cambodia hotel casino kills at least 19

                                          

A massive fire at a Cambodian hotel casino that lasted more than 12 hours killed at least 19 people and injured more than 60, while other victims were apparently not yet accounted for Thursday. Neighboring Thailand sent firetrucks and emergency workers to help cope with the crisis in the bustling border town of Poipet.

India: Calls to lower age of consent to 16 over teen romance

In India, any sexual contact with person under 18 is classified as rape. But a senior court is now calling for a change in policy, pointing to teen couples who are also impacted by it.   

For every Emirati not appointed according to 2022 target fine AED72,000

                                          
Starting from 1 January 2023, private sector companies with 50 employees or more that have not raised Emiratisation targets by 2 percent of skilled jobs in 2022, will be fined, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) said on Thursday.

Physicists Discover a New Way to 'See' Objects Without Looking at Them

Ordinarily, to measure an object we must interact with it in some way. Whether it's by a prod or a poke, an echo of sound waves, or a shower of light, it's near impossible to look without touching.

A Star Came too Close to a Black Hole. It Didn’t End Well

Black holes are confounding objects that stretch physics to its limits. The most massive ones lurk in the centers of large galaxies like ours. They dominate the galactic center, and when a star gets too close, the black hole’s powerful gravitational force tears the star apart as they feed on it. Not even the most massive stars can resist.

Americans brace for ‘once in a generation’ winter storm chaos

Dreams of a white Christmas week deteriorated to panic over whiteout conditions Thursday as Americans braced for what forecasters called “once in a generation” winter storm chaos.    

Uganda president lifts all Ebola-related movement restrictions

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni lifted all Ebola-related movement restrictions on Saturday, saying the East African country had made progress in curbing the deadly disease.

Russia rejects US basketballer’s appeal of ‘traumatic’ sentence

The court in Krasnogorsk near Moscow ruled to leave Griner’s August verdict "without change", while noting that each day the athlete had spent behind bars since her February arrest would be counted as one-and-a-half of her term.

Rishi Sunak richer than King Charles III thanks to wife Akshata Murthy's $800 million tech company stake

Rishi Sunak has won the Conservative Party leadership contest, making him the next prime minister of the United Kingdom and one of the wealthiest men to hold the position, but his wealth comes from a surprising source: His wife.

Indian Cricketers Unhappy With After Practice Meal

The Indian cricket team wasn’t exactly pleased with the after-practice menu on Tuesday and a few members decided to have food back in their hotel rooms.

Chinese state banks sold dollars to support yuan late on Tuesday - sources

Major Chinese state-owned banks sold U.S. dollars in both onshore and offshore markets in late trade on Tuesday to prop up the weakening yuan, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Rishi Sunak’s ascent to U.K. leader hailed in India as ‘incredible feat’

 

Rishi Sunak has become the United Kingdom’s first prime minister of color, and many in India and its diaspora hailed the milestone in British politics as a testament to the country’s multiculturalism.

Indonesia says child deaths from acute kidney injury rise to 133

Indonesia's health minister said on Friday that the number of children who had died from acute kidney injury (AKI) rose to 133 from the previously reported 99.

She ordered cabin crew not to LOOK at her: Passenger booted off flight

           

Daniele De Matos became hostile towards the air stewards after she was mistakenly put in an economy seat rather than business class on the flight from Sydney to Hawaii

Boris Johnson arrives back in Britain to attempt political comeback

Boris Johnson arrived back in Britain on Saturday as he considers an audacious attempt to win a second term as prime minister only weeks after he was forced to step down, with some colleagues warning his comeback could create more political chaos.

Italy's Meloni sworn in at head of right-wing government

                            

Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italy's first woman prime minister on Saturday alongside her cabinet team, giving the country its most right-wing government since World War Two.

Plane crashes into US apartment building, killing everyone on board

A plane has crashed into a barn next to a New Hampshire apartment building, killing everyone on board.

According to local reports, the single-engine jet came down near Keene's Dillant-Hopkins airport.


Residents say the plane hit a storage barn area, which caught fire next to a small apartment building that shares a parking lot with Hope Chapel.

Australian Encourage To Ditch Their Second Car For An E-Bike

Australians are swapping their second cars for e-bikes for short trips
Monique Svenson said getting an e-bike solved her daycare and school run woes
Electric bike ownership is racing, with research from Bicycle Industries Australia showing 60,000 e-bikes were sold in 2021, outpacing even the 2020 boom

US judge blocks New York from banning guns in church

A federal judge on Thursday barred the state of New York, at least for now, from enforcing the part of a closely watched gun law that bans firearms from churches or other places of worship.

Heavy rainfalls to hit country for 2 days

                                     

Starting from late Oct. 19, the country will witness heavy precipitation and a shivering weather on Oct. 20 and 21, but the weather conditions will go back to normal by the weekend, the Turkish State Meteorological Service has said.

UK’s Liz Truss quits As British Prime Minister

                                          
British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned Thursday, bowing to the inevitable after a tumultuous, short-lived term in which her policies triggered turmoil in financial markets and a rebellion in her party that obliterated her authority.

Two giant pandas sent by China reach Qatar ahead of World Cup

                                             

China has sent a pair of unique gifts to Qatar, a month ahead of the Fifa World Cup scheduled to be held at the Gulf country.

srael summons Australian ambassador after capital recognition reversal

                               

Australia on Tuesday reversed its previous government’s decision to recognize west Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, received as a “disappointment” for the Israeli government, which summoned the Australian ambassador.

Moscow and Kyiv swap women prisoners for sailors

Russia has exchanged 108 Ukrainian women held as prisoners of war for 110 Russian captives held by Ukraine, officials on both sides say.

Saudi Arabia announces $400mn humanitarian aid for Ukraine

                                     
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday announced $400 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine, the official SPA news agency said, adding that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had made a phone call to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Elon Musk abandons threat to cut off satellite Internet service to Ukraine

Elon Musk has dropped his threat to stop providing free satellite Internet service in Ukraine — saying that he wanted to perform “good deeds” despite the cost. 

Four prisoners killed, 61 injured in fire at Iran’s notoriously brutal Evin prison, state media reports

At least four prisoners were killed and 61 injured after a fire at Evin prison in northern Tehran, Iranian state media IRNA reported, attributing Iranian authorities. 

Biden calls British prime minister's abandoned tax plan a 'mistake'

President Joe Biden on Saturday called embattled British Prime Minister Liz Truss’ abandoned tax cut plan a “mistake,” and said he is worried that other nations’ fiscal policies may hurt the U.S. amid “worldwide inflation.”

25 dead, many trapped in Turkish coal mine blast, say officials

                                       

An explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey killed at least 25 people, local officials say, while rescuers working through the night have been trying to bring dozens of others trapped to the surface.

The explosion occurred 6:45pm (local time) at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin.

'Enough,' says Biden after shooting leaves 5 dead in North Carolina

                           
WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he and first lady Jill Biden were grieving for the families of victims killed in a North Carolina shooting, renewing calls to the Senate to pass a ban on assault weapons.

South Sudan deports 20 Eritrean, Ethiopian migrants despite civil society opposition

                         

The foreign nationals were arrested on arrival at Juba International Airport a few days ago and were said to have entered the country without passports or travel documents.

North Korea fires missile, flies warplanes near South Korea border

                                         

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast on Friday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of launches by the nuclear-armed country amid heightened tensions.

South Korea's National Security Council condemned the North for escalating tension, calling its moves a violation of a 2018 bilateral military pact that bans "hostile acts" in the border area.

Japanese Epsilon rocket self-destructs after failed launch: Space agency

                                         

Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said on Wednesday that its unmanned Epsilon-6 rockethad been ordered to self-destruct after an "abnormality" occurred shortly after liftoff. 

Venezuela floods kill 22 after heavy rains

                                     

At least 22 people died and 52 were missing after five small rivers in central Venezuela flooded due to heavy rains, Reuters quoted Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as saying on Sunday.