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Hong Kong plummets towards bottom of press freedom ranking
HONG KONG: Hong Kong has plummeted down an international press freedom chart as authorities have wielded a draconian new security law to silence critical news outlets and jail journalists, a new report said on Tuesday. For two decades, media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has ranked countries and territories around the world by how free their press is.Hong Kong, a regional hub for both international and local media, has been...
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Stars sparkle at Met Gala in New York
A-listers dressed to the theme of "gilded glamour" sparkled on the red carpet as the annual Met Gala extravaganza known as "the party of the year" returned to its pre-pandemic schedule in New York Monday. Co-host Blake Lively wowed in a beaded Versace gown with an oversized satin bow that unfurled to reveal a light-blue train while singer Billie Eilish wore an ornate Gucci bodice with green lace sleeves.Actress Lively, whose husband actor Ryan...
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Johnny Depp was to have earned $22.5 m for 'Pirates' 6
Johnny Depp was to have been paid $22.5 million for a sixth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie but the project was scrapped by Disney after his ex-wife Amber Heard accused him of domestic abuse in a Washington Post op-ed, the actor's agent said Monday. Jack Whigham, testifying on behalf of Depp at the celebrity couple's high-profile defamation trial in Virginia, said the Post op-ed was "catastrophic" for Depp's Hollywood career."After the op-ed it...
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Palestinians warn against plans to weaken their UN agency
RAMALLAH: A proposal by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees to delegate some services to other United Nations agencies has sparked outrage among Palestinians, who have warned of a plot to "dismantle" the body. Established in 1949, a year after the Zionist entity was created, UNRWA is the only major UN body dedicated exclusively to one conflict and one people, and holds a symbolic role that experts say matches its importance as provider for...
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EU readies for end of Russia gas, warns won’t pay in rubles
BRUSSELS: The European Union warned member states Monday to prepare for a possible complete breakdown in gas supplies from Russia, insisting it would not cede to Moscow’s demand that imports be paid for in rubles. The European Commission will on Tuesday propose to member states a new package of sanctions to punish President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine, including an embargo on Russian oil, officials said.But energy and...
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Netflix cancels Meghan Markle animated series 'Pearl'
Netflix has canceled an animated series created by Meghan Markle as it makes cost-saving moves following disappointing first-quarter results. The TV streaming giant confirmed in an email to AFP on Monday that it was not moving forward with the Duchess of Sussex's "Pearl," which was announced in July last year.The cancellation is "part of the strategic decisions Netflix is making around animated series," the company said, adding that it was...
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Iraqi artist brings 'joy' to Baghdad concrete jungle
Iraqi artist Wijdan Al-Majed is transforming Baghdad's concrete jungle into a colour-filled city with murals depicting well-known figures from the war-scarred country and abroad.Perched on a scaffold at a busy intersection, the 49-year-old artist and instructor at the Baghdad College of Fine Arts is adding final touches to a mural dedicated to celebrated Iraqi poet Muzzafar Al-Nawab.Peasant women in traditional dress adorn the background of the...
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'Lungs of the Mediterranean' at risk
MONASTIR, Tunisia: Under the Mediterranean waters off Tunisia, gently waving green seagrass meadows provide vital marine habitats for the fishing fleets and an erosion buffer for the beaches the tourism industry depends on. Even more importantly, seagrass is such a key store of carbon and producer of oxygen – critical to slowing the devastating impacts of climate change – that the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (MedWet) calls it "the...
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US manufacturing sees surprise slowdown as China lockdowns bite
WASHINGTON: US factory activity last month dropped to its lowest level since July 2020 as supply chain snarls intensified amid a new wave of pandemic lockdowns in China, an industry survey said Monday. The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index dropped almost two percentage points to 55.4 percent in April, against expectations for a modest increase but still above the 50-percent threshold indicating expansion.The culprit was...
SYDNEY: Chief Executive Officer of Qantas Airways Alan Joyce (second right) along with other officials attend the ceremony of an Airbus A350-1000 aircraft fleet announcement at Sydney international airport on May 2, 2022.— AFP
Qantas to launch longest non-stop passenger flight
SYDNEY: Qantas announced on Monday it will launch the world's longest non-stop commercial flight, with passengers set to spend 19 hours in the air travelling from Sydney to London by the end of 2025. After five years of planning, the airline said it was ordering 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft to operate the "Project Sunrise" flights to cities including London and New York. Non-stop flights will start from Sydney by the end of 2025, it said, with...
COLOMBO: Motorists queue up to buy fuel at a Ceylon Petroleum Corporation fuel station in Colombo on May 2, 2022.— AFP
Tanker strike worsens fuel woes in crisis-hit Sri Lanka
COLOMBO: A strike by owners of fuel tankers over the weekend renewed Sri Lanka's long queues for diesel and petrol on Monday as pumps ran dry, compounding the island nation's economic and energy crisis.Sri Lanka is in the grip of a pandemic-spurred economic freefall, the worst since independence from Britain in 1948, which has led to shortages of food and other essentials. The lack of fuel has been an especially large sticking point for the...
Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine: Andrii Paliy prepares materials that he uses to produce bullet-proof armour plates, at his workshop in Zaporizhzhia on May 1, 2022. Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, medieval combat enthusiasts and self-taught blacksmiths Vadim Mernichenko and Andrii Paliy used their workshop and skills to turn out suits of amour and swords, but these days the duo have their minds elsewhere - bulletproof protection for the Ukrainian army.  --AFP
Ukraine armoury turns to making bullet-proof vests for troops
Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine: Ukrainian armour-maker Vadim Mirnichenko used to specialise in swords and breastplates for medieval jousting competitions -- but after Russia invaded his homeland, he turned his passion for historical weaponry to the modern day. The small, dark workshop of the medieval combat enthusiast and self-taught blacksmith is full of swords and blades at various stages of manufacture, and designs for different pieces of armour.A...