NewsAFP NewsPollution turns Argentina lake bright pink
A lagoon in Argentina's southern Patagonia region has turned bright pink in a striking, but frightful phenomenon experts and activists blame on pollution by a chemical used to preserve prawns for export.
NewsMalay MailHere’s what to look out for as Malaysian MPs return to Parliament after seven months
KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — Federal lawmakers will finally be able to return to Parliament from today to carry out their key duties of debating laws and policies, and holding the government accountable...
NewsReutersTunisian president sacks prime minister, freezes parliament
TUNIS (Reuters) -Tunisia's president said on Sunday he was dismissing the prime minister and freezing parliament in a major escalation of political feuding in the democratic country following protests in several cities. President Kais Saied said he would assume executive authority with the assistance of a new prime minister, prompting the biggest challenge yet to a 2014 constitution that split powers between president, prime minister and parliament. Saied has been enmeshed in political disputes with Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi for over a year, as the country grapples with an economic crisis, a looming fiscal crunch and a flailing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SportAFP NewsAlcaraz follows in Nadal footsteps as 18-year-old champion
Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest Spanish champion on the ATP Tour since Rafael Nadal in 2004 when he captured the Umag clay court title on Sunday.
SportAFP NewsElvira dedicates Wales Open win to murdered compatriot Barquin Arozamena
Spain's Nacho Elvira, the world number 694, won his maiden European Tour title on Sunday, shrugging off squandering a six-shot lead to defeat South Africa's Justin Harding in a play-off.
SportAFP NewsCollins clinches first title after tough year
Danielle Collins of the United States became the WTA's 14th first time champion of 2021 when she clinched the Palermo title on Sunday.
NewsReutersU.S offers further air support to Afghan troops amid Taliban offensive
United States will to continue to carry out airstrikes to support Afghan forces facing attack from the insurgent Taliban, a regional U.S. commander said on Sunday as U.S. and other international forces have drawn down troops in Afghanistan. The Taliban escalated its offensive in recent weeks, taking rural districts and surrounding provincial capitals, after U.S. President Joe Biden said in April U.S. troops would be withdrawn by September, ending a 20-year foreign military presence.
- NewsReuters
Italy asks Europe for firefighting planes to tame Sardinia fires
MILAN (Reuters) -Italy asked European states on Sunday to send firefighting aircraft to help tame fires that have swept across parts of the island of Sardinia, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people. Italy's Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Facebook the country's civil protection authority had issued the request and said he was grateful for help that was already being sent. "Two (aircraft) are on their way from France, which I officially thank," Di Maio said.
EntertainmentAFP NewsNew M. Night Shyamalan horror flick 'Old' tops NAmerica box office
New M. Night Shyamalan horror-thriller "Old" aged to perfection at the top of the North American box office in its debut weekend, taking in an estimated $16.5 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
SportAFP NewsDressel to start Phelps-style medal bid at Tokyo Olympics
US swimmer Caeleb Dressel opens his bid for a Michael Phelps-style medal haul at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday, as judo's Shohei Ono will try to keep the golds rolling in for Japan.
NewsReutersLebanese Sunni Muslim leaders endorse ex-PM Najib Mikati as choice to form new government
A club of former Lebanese prime ministers said on Sunday they endorsed the choice of another former premier, Najib Mekati, to form a new government in yet another attempt to bring Lebanon's political deadlock to an end. Among Mikati's endorsers was veteran politician Saad al-Hariri, who abandoned his effort to form a new government last week after nearly 10 months of failing to agree its makeup with President Michel Aoun. Aoun is due to meet parliamentary blocs on Monday for consultations on nominating a new prime minister.
NewsReutersBelfast health trust calls for nursing help as COVID-19 cases rise
The Belfast Trust, which runs hospitals in the Northern Irish capital, called on nurses to work later on Sunday and overnight to help ease "extreme pressure" at two hospitals because of an increasing number of COVID-19 patients. The number of new cases is still high across the United Kingdom, fuelled in part by a highly transmissible new variant and a relaxation in restrictions imposed to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus. On Twitter, the Belfast Trust said: "We are under extreme pressure in the RVH & Mater (two hospitals in Belfast) as we care for an increasing number of Covid19+ patients, alongside emergency admissions."
SportAFP NewsRecord-equalling Minjee Lee wins first major at Evian as Lee6 implodes
Australian Minjee Lee couldn't hide her delight after coming from seven shots behind to beat South Korea's Lee6 Jeongeun in a play-off at the Evian Championship to join the exclusive club of major winners.
NewsReutersChina's TAL Education expects hit from new private tutoring rules
China's TAL Education Group said on Sunday that its operations and business prospects could take a hit as a result of Beijing barring for-profit tutoring in core school subjects to ease financial pressures on families. News of the rule changes on Friday sent shockwaves through China's $120 billion private tutoring sector and triggered a massive sell-off in the shares of companies including TAL and Gaotu Techedu. Under the new rules, all institutions offering tutoring on the school curriculum will be registered as non-profit organisations, and no new licences will be granted, according to an official document.
SportAFP NewsKumar stars as India thrash Sri Lanka in 1st T20 after Covid-19 scare
Seam bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar led a disciplined bowling performance as India hammered Sri Lanka by 38 runs in the opening Twenty20 international after a Covid scare at the stadium on Sunday.
SportAFP NewsSarkar stars as Bangladesh win T20 series to complete tour sweep
Opener Soumya Sarkar top-scored with 68 as Bangladesh completed a thrilling run chase to beat Zimbabwe by five wickets and win a Twenty20 international series 2-1 in Harare on Sunday.
NewsReutersBritain reports 29,173 COVID-19 cases on Sunday, lower than a day earlier
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain reported 29,173 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, a fall from 31,795 a day earlier, while the number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test dropped to 28 from 86 on Saturday, official data showed. The number of new cases has been falling over the last five days in Britain, but officials have been cautious over whether this is a trend.
NewsReutersItaly reports seven more coronavirus deaths, 4,743 new infections
Italy reported seven coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday compared with five the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 4,743 from 5,140 on Saturday. Italy has registered 127,949 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the eighth-highest in the world. Some 176,653 tests for COVID-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 258,929, the health ministry said.
NewsAFP NewsNigerian bandits release 28 kidnapped students
Gunmen who seized 121 students at a high school in northwestern Nigeria in early July have released 28 of them, a school official told AFP on Sunday.
SportAFP NewsSarkar stars as Bangladesh win T20 series to complete sweep
Opener Soumya Sarkar top-scored with 68 as Bangladesh won a thrilling run chase to defeat Zimbabwe by five wickets and win a Twenty20 international series 2-1 in Harare on Sunday.
NewsReutersUNESCO grants world heritage status to Madrid's Paseo del Prado and Retiro Park
MADRID (Reuters) -UNESCO added Madrid's historic Paseo del Prado boulevard and Retiro Park to its list of world heritage sites on Sunday. The tree-lined Paseo del Prado, in the centre of the Spanish capital, is home to the Prado museum, while Retiro Park, just off the Paseo del Prado, is one of the city's most visited attractions.
NewsAFP NewsTwo brothers competing in Tokyo: one for Syria, the other for refugees
A photo of two Syrian brothers, competing for different teams at the Olympics, hugging each other in Tokyo went viral on social media earlier this week.
SportReutersSoccer-Bristol Rovers boss Barton charged with assault
The police said the charge was related to an incident that took place at a residential property in Kew, southwest London, last month in which a woman suffered a head injury. "Joseph Barton, 38 (2.9.82), of Widnes, is due to appear on bail on Monday 26 July at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court charged with assault by beating," the Met Police said in a statement.
SportAFP NewsPandemic-hit IPL to resume on September 19 in Dubai
The Indian Premier League, the world's richest cricket tournament, will resume in the UAE on September 19, more than four months after it was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said Sunday.
