Three Israeli soldiers killed near Egypt border

Three Israeli soldiers have been killed by an Egyptian security officer in exchanges of fire on the Israeli side of the border. The armed forces of both countries say they are jointly investigating the unusual incident. Egypt says its officer crossed into Israel while chasing drug traffickers. The Israeli military has said the shootings were assumed to be connected with a drug smuggling operation it had thwarted overnight. According to the army, two Israeli soldiers – a man and woman – posted in a remote spot along the border were shot dead early on Saturday morning. Their bodies were discovered … Continue reading Three Israeli soldiers killed near Egypt border

Socialite Jasmine Hartin spared jail after killing Belize police chief

A Canadian socialite who killed a police chief in Belize with his own gun has reportedly been spared prison time. Jasmine Hartin, 34, was handed a £30,000 fine and 300 hours of community service, according to local reports. She pleaded guilty in April to the manslaughter of Henry Jemmott on 28 May 2021. He died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Hartin is the former partner of Andrew Ashcroft, the son of a prominent UK businessman Lord Michael Ashcroft. Under the sentence handed down by the Belize’s high court, Hartin must pay $75,000 BZD within 12 months, or … Continue reading Socialite Jasmine Hartin spared jail after killing Belize police chief

Swedish great Zlatan Ibrahimovic ends football career at 41

AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic has retired from football at the age of 41, bringing to an end one of the modern era’s most glittering careers. “I say goodbye to football but not to you,” the Swede told the San Siro crowd after Sunday’s last game of the season. Ibrahimovic had already announced he would leave the Italian club. He scored 511 goals for clubs including Paris St-Germain, Manchester United and both AC and Inter Milan, winning league titles in four countries. Ibrahimovic began his second spell with AC Milan in early 2020, having won the Scudetto with them in 2011, … Continue reading Swedish great Zlatan Ibrahimovic ends football career at 41

Legend: Karim Benzema to leave Real Madrid after 14 years

Legendary footballer Karim Benzema is to leave Real Madrid after 14 years at the club. The Ballon d’Or-winning striker, who joined the Spanish giants from Lyon in 2009, will depart on a free transfer when the season ends. Benzema, who had a year left on his contract, is set to move to Saudi Arabia after receiving a “record offer” from Al-Ittihad, according to Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague. Benzema, 35, won five Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles with Madrid. Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya television station reported on Sunday that Benzema will sign a two-year deal with Al-Ittihad. Real … Continue reading Legend: Karim Benzema to leave Real Madrid after 14 years

Elon Musk snaps up top NBCUniversal executive

Twitter has snapped up senior NBCUniversal executive Joe Benarroch, as Elon Musk continues to shake up the social media platform’s top team. Mr Benarroch starts the role on Monday, focussing on business operations. It comes less than a month after NBCUniversal’s head of advertising Linda Yaccarino was named as Twitter’s new chief executive. She will take the position currently held by Mr Musk, who will remain closely involved in the company. Mr Benarroch has already updated his LinkedIn profile, indicating that he will be based at Twitter’s New York office. He also posted an announcement about his move that said: … Continue reading Elon Musk snaps up top NBCUniversal executive

Japan YouTuber arrested over celebrity threats

Police in Japan have arrested a YouTuber and former MP over threats he allegedly made to celebrities. Yoshikazu Higashitani, known on YouTube as GaaSyy, is famous for his celebrity gossip videos. Local media said he returned to Japan from the UAE, two months after Tokyo police issued his arrest warrant. He is accused of threatening to defame an actor, an entrepreneur and a designer between February and August last year. He is also suspected of obstructing the designer’s business activities. Mr Higashitani repeatedly ignored requests to return to Japan and voluntarily submit himself to police questioning. Tokyo police had been … Continue reading Japan YouTuber arrested over celebrity threats

Hundreds of thousands of people demand change in Poland amid huge protest

Hundreds of thousands of protesters have gathered in Warsaw for one of Poland’s largest demonstrators since the fall of communism in 1989. Most opposition parties have called on supporters to join the march against the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS), led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Among those attending are former Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and former President Lech Walesa. The PiS has condemned the gathering as a “march of hate”. The mayor’s office for Warsaw has estimated half a million people attended the event, which fell on the 34th anniversary of Poland’s first partially-free elections. Many travelled from across the … Continue reading Hundreds of thousands of people demand change in Poland amid huge protest

War with US would be unbearable disaster, says China defence minister

China’s defence minister has said war with the US would be an “unbearable disaster” for the world in his first major speech since taking on the role. At a security summit, General Li Shangfu said “some countries” were intensifying an arms race in Asia. But he said the world was big enough for both China and the US, and the two superpowers should seek common ground. Earlier the US alleged “unsafe” manoeuvres by a Chinese destroyer near a US warship in the Taiwan strait. On Saturday the US navy said a Chinese destroyer sailed “in an unsafe manner” near an … Continue reading War with US would be unbearable disaster, says China defence minister

Oil prices rise as Opec countries continues output cuts

Oil-producing countries have agreed to continued cuts in production in a bid to shore up flagging prices. Saudi Arabia said it would make cuts of a million barrels per day (bpd) in July and Opec+ said targets would drop by a further 1.4 million bpd from 2024. Opec+ accounts for around 40% of the world’s crude oil and its decisions can have a major impact on oil prices. In Asia trade on Monday, Brent crude oil rose by as much as 2.4% before settling at around $77 a barrel. The seven hour-long meeting on Sunday of the oil-rich nations, led … Continue reading Oil prices rise as Opec countries continues output cuts

Update: With over 200 deaths recorded, Indian minister says signal fault the likely cause of a monumental tragedy

India’s railway minister has suggested a signal fault led to the Odisha rail disaster, with a “change in electronic interlocking” the likely cause. Ashwini Vaishnaw later said the cause and people responsible for the deadly three-train crash in eastern India had been identified but did not elaborate. India’s Railway Board said there had been “some kind of signalling interference” rather than failure. A report into India’s worst rail accident this century is due later. Meanwhile the death toll has been revised down to 275 after some bodies were counted twice, officials said. Of the 1,175 injured people taken to hospital, … Continue reading Update: With over 200 deaths recorded, Indian minister says signal fault the likely cause of a monumental tragedy

Amazon staff protest climate record and office return

More than 1,000 staff at Amazon participated in a one-hour protest over the internet giant’s climate record and its push to bring office staff back to offices, according to organisers. The action was put together by staff advocacy groups. They said morale at the company was at an “all-time low” due to a “short-sighted decisions” by leaders. Amazon disputed the number of participants, while saying it respected workers’ rights to express opinions. It said its security team counted closer to 300 employees taking part in the protest at the company’s headquarters in Seattle and it was not aware of any … Continue reading Amazon staff protest climate record and office return

Every Canadian cigarette to carry a health warning

Canada will soon print warning labels directly on cigarettes in a world-first, the country’s health agency announced. New packaging will feature a warning on each cigarette with phrases like: “Cigarettes cause cancer” and “Poison in every puff”. The regulation will come into effect on 1 August, Health Canada said. It is part of an effort to reduce tobacco use in Canada to less than 5% by 2035. In an announcement on Wednesday, Health Canada said the new regulations “will make it virtually impossible to avoid health warnings” on tobacco products. The health agency anticipates that by April 2025, retailers in … Continue reading Every Canadian cigarette to carry a health warning