Other News

Taylor Swift cheers Chiefs, stoking Travis Kelce romance rumors

Pop star Taylor Swift added fuel to rumors around her possible relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce when she was seen watching him in action alongside the Super Bowl winner’s mother on Sunday. Swift attended the Kansas City Chiefs’ home game against the Chicago Bears, sitting in a luxury box with the tight end’s mother, Donna. The 12-time Grammy winner, sporting a red and white Chiefs jacket, was treated to a 41-10 Chiefs romp and […]

The ‘tyranny of thinness’ still dominates fashion

By Eric Randolph and Olga Nedbaeva Despite claims that the fashion industry is embracing curvier bodies, the data suggests it could be guilty of what one expert calls “fat-washing”. While a handful of plus-size models such as Paloma Elsesser have grabbed media attention in recent years, the figures shows they remain a vanishingly small minority. Vogue Business looked at 9,137 outfits unveiled during 219 shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris last season and […]

Hollywood writers, studios reach tentative deal to end strike

Striking writers whose industrial action has brought Hollywood to a standstill said Sunday they had reached a deal with studios that could see them go back to work. “We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 (minimum basic agreement), which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language,” said a letter the Writers Guild of America sent to members. “We can say, with great […]

Time ticking on US deadline to avert shutdown

By Julie CHABANAS Four months after barely avoiding a catastrophic default, the world’s largest economy is once again on the verge of a major fiscal crisis. President Joe Biden’s Democrats are engaged in a bitter feud with Republican rivals in Congress over spending bills, which, if not passed into law soon, may trigger a government shutdown. US lawmakers have until midnight on September 30 to reach an agreement, before funding for government services is due […]

Major asteroid sample brought to Earth in NASA first

  DUGWAY, United States, Sept 24, 2023 (AFP) – A seven-year space voyage came to its climactic end Sunday when a NASA capsule landed in the desert in the US state of Utah, carrying to Earth the largest asteroid samples ever collected. Scientists have high hopes for the sample, saying it will provide a better understanding of the formation of our solar system and how Earth became habitable. “Touchdown of the Osiris-Rex sample return capsule!” […]

Five dead in Florida after freight train slams into SUV

MIAMI, Sept 24, 2023 (AFP) – Five people were killed Saturday night after a freight train crashed into an SUV at a rail crossing in the US state of Florida, police said. The SUV driver approached the Plant City crossing, which is controlled only by signage, and drove on without looking both ways, Sheriff Chad Chronister told a news conference, citing video footage and witness testimony. “The conductor of the train did everything he could […]

Fighting ongoing after police officer killed in attack in north Kosovo

  BANJSKA, Kosovo, Sept 24, 2023 (AFP) – Skirmishes between gunmen and authorities in northern Kosovo were ongoing, according to Prime Minister Albin Kurti, hours after a police officer had been killed when a patrol was hit by an ambush involving firearms and explosives. Kurti said at least 30 heavily armed gunmen were now surrounded by authorities near Banjska in north Kosovo and called for their surrender. “There are at least 30 professional, military or […]

Blaze kills 34 at illegal Benin fuel depot

COTONOU, Sept 23, 2023 (AFP) – At least 34 people died in Benin near Nigeria’s border on Saturday when a contraband fuel depot exploded into flames, sending up a black cloud of smoke into the sky and leaving dozens of charred bodies at the site, a government official and residents said. The blaze erupted at a warehouse for smuggled fuel in the southern Benin town of Seme Podji, where cars, motorbikes and tricycle taxis came […]

Red Sea corals threatened by mystery sea urchin deaths

EILAT, Israel, Sept 24, 2023 (AFP) – The Red Sea’s spectacular coral reefs face a new threat, marine biologists warn — the mass death of sea urchins that may be caused by a mystery disease. Because the long-spined creatures feed on algae that can suffocate corals, their die-off could “destroy our entire coral reef ecosystem”, warned scientist Lisa-Maria Schmidt. In Israel’s Red Sea resort of Eilat, which borders Jordan and Egypt, Schmidt recalled the moment […]

Vietnam executes man despite diplomatic pleas for mercy

  HANOI, Sept 23, 2023 (AFP) – Vietnam has executed long-time death row prisoner Le Van Manh, a lawyer confirmed Saturday, despite international pleas to spare his life. In 2005 Manh was charged with robbery, as well as the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl in the northern Thanh Hoa province. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said police obtained a confession through torture that was relied upon to convict him. Manh later retracted […]

Jungkook, Anitta draw fans to Central Park aid fest despite rain

NEW YORK, Sept 23, 2023 (AFP) – Thousands of people gathered in a swampy Central Park for a concert urging global development aid, with Jungkook of BTS fame and Brazil’s Anitta highlighting the marathon show’s first half. Jungkook had the poncho-clad crowd screaming and swaying along as he serenaded them with hits including “Still With You” during the Global Citizen Festival marked by a chilly, persistent rain. Wearing acid wash jeans and a brown shirt, […]

Alligator killed after Florida woman’s body found in jaws

MIAMI, Sept 24, 2023 (AFP) – An alligator was killed as it was removed from a creek in the US state of Florida along with a 41-year-old woman’s body, officials said Saturday. Police said they had responded to a report of a body seen in the creek in Largo, Florida, and that the 13-foot, 8.5-inch (4-meter) male alligator was “humanely killed” on Friday. Officers identified the body on Saturday, but said “the manner and cause […]