Pupils at Suan Lumphini School assemble each morning under a coloured flag indicating the day's air quality -- red for worst, yellow for second worst, blue for best. Thailand registers dire air pollution levels annually -- its cities topping the world's most polluted for days last year -- and children face the greatest risk of long-term damage to their respiratory systems. Lalipthat Prakham, who works as a maid, said it has already made her eight-year-old daughter sick. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has promised to tackle the issue... Читать дальше...
"Giving birth to my music, getting married to my music, having sex to my music -- I've heard them all and I love them all," she told AFP during a visit to Paris this week. "One of my friends said 'Sunrise' used to be his wake-up song, though, and I'm not sure I'm happy about being an alarm clock," she added, laughing. Jones has been a fixture in people's homes ever since her 2002 debut, "Come Away With Me", which sold close to 30 million copies around the world and won her an armful of Grammy Awards. Читать дальше...
Centre David Havili will captain the Crusaders in Barrett's absence, starting with Friday's crunch home match against current leaders the Wellington Hurricanes. Defending champions the Crusaders will be desperate to snap a three-match losing streak, their worst start to a Super Rugby season since the competition began in 1996. The Hurricanes have won their three games so far. Underpressure Crusaders head coach Rob Penney said that his skipper would be "sadly missed". "His on-field performances are world-class every week," said Penney. Читать дальше...
Chair Patrick Healy said that "2023 was our first profitable year since 2019" and added that the imbalance between supply and travel demand "resulted in high yields and contributed to a strong financial performance in both halves of the year". The airline said profit surged to US$1.25 billion last year, compared with a loss of $847 million in 2022, after hitting its target of operating at 70 percent of pre-pandemic passenger flights during the 12 months. Cathay also posted an operating profit of $1.9 billion in 2023... Читать дальше...
A stoppage-time Patrik Schick equaliser spared Leverkusen's blushes last week in Baku, and also maintained their unbeaten record this season, after Qarabag took a shock 2-0 lead against the runaway Bundesliga leaders. "Maybe it's true that the result is more fortunate for us than for Qarabag. Great respect, they perhaps deserved a better result," said Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso after the first leg. Despite the surprise 2-2 draw, Leverkusen showed no sign of slowing down in their pursuit of silverware... Читать дальше...
Turner led a balanced offensive effort for Indiana that saw six players post double-digit points tallies against the Western Conference-leading Thunder. The Pacers shrugged off a fiercely partisan Oklahoma City crowd to take control early on, opening up a 16-point lead near the end of the first half. Although the Thunder rallied with a 41-point third quarter to take a fleeting one-point lead, Indiana regrouped to pull away again and close out victory. Turner was backed with 18 points and nine... Читать дальше...
A Spanish charity boat taking food to Gaza left Cyprus on Tuesday in hopes of opening a maritime corridor to carry sorely needed aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. Follow FRANCE 24's liveblog for all the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war.
Joe Biden and rival Donald Trump won enough delegates Tuesday to clinch their party nominations in the 2024 presidential race, networks projected, all but assuring a rematch and setting up one of the longest general election campaigns in US history.
The US House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on a bill that would force TikTok to cut ties with its Chinese owner or get banned in the United States.
Real-life geisha, or "geiko" ("women of art") as they are known locally, work for a living -- as they have for centuries -- in teahouses in Kyoto's picturesque Gion district where they perform traditional Japanese dance, music and games. However, like other major tourist attractions around the world such as Bruges in Belgium, Venice in Italy, or Rio de Janeiro's Sugarloaf Mountain, locals are fuming. Residents are fed up with visitors sometimes rudely demanding selfies with or otherwise bothering the geiko... Читать дальше...
But strict new measures mean the American ritual, known as Spring Break, is a much quieter affair this year. The city in south Florida is enacting rules to stamp out partying which has gotten out of control -- and even violent -- in recent years, with two killed in shootings last March. As the sun went down on the weekend, Ocean Drive -- typically the party hub for the thousands who descend on Miami Beach -- looked much calmer than normal. The booming music, crowds of scantily-clad youngsters... Читать дальше...
Perched on football-patterned cushions on classroom floors of artificial grass, they learn on tablets and smartphones using an app created by the Vini Jr Institute, started by the Real Madrid athlete to improve public education in disadvantaged communities. "I learn better when I use the app, it's easier, it looks like a game," 11-year-old Ana Clara da Silva told AFP in Sao Goncalo, Vinicius's birthplace on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Da Silva attends the Visconde de Sepetiba municipal school... Читать дальше...
With low-lying communities worldwide on the front lines of the climate crisis fight, Cartagena is conspicuously vulnerable. On Tierra Bomba, a small island in the bay of Cartagena, the cemetery once built at a safe distance from the shore has been devastated by repeated flooding, while houses have tumbled into the waves. Kelly Mendoza has seen two of her neighbors lose their homes, and at night the 31-year-old hears the surf crashing against her bedroom wall. "I get scared when the wave hits... Читать дальше...
Arthur Schubarth, 80, illegally imported parts of the world's largest species of sheep from Kyrgyzstan, which he used to create cloned embryos in the United States. The resulting fetuses were then implanted in ewes on his Montana ranch, resulting in the birth of a genetically pure Marco Polo argali, an endangered species that can weigh more than 300 pounds (135 kilograms) and has horns more than five feet (1.5 meters) wide. Schubarth then used semen from this specimen to impregnate various species... Читать дальше...
French-Polish director Roman Polanski, who fled the US more than four decades ago after being convicted of sexually assaulting a child, will face a civil trial over the alleged rape of another minor years earlier, the woman's lawyer said Tuesday.
The case against the director of "The Pianist" will be heard in Los Angeles in August 2025, said Gloria Allred, a Hollywood lawyer who has represented victims of rapist Harvey Weinstein and others who emerged in the #MeToo era. While Polanski cannot be forced to attend the trial, said Allred, the civil hearing will be a chance for her client, named in the suit as Jane Doe, to seek justice for the alleged attack in 1973. The suit, filed last year, claims Polanski took the then-teenager to dinner in 1973 at a restaurant in Los Angeles. Читать дальше...
Leonid Volkov, a close ally of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was admitted to hospital on Tuesday after being attacked outside his home in Lithuania, local police told AFP.
The teams were locked at 1-1 on aggregate after an absorbing second leg at the Emirates but Raya saved twice in the shootout to break the hearts of the two-time champions. The goalkeeper pulled off a brilliant save to deny Wendell and repeated the feat against Galeno, while the home side converted all four of their penalties. It is the first time a Champions League match has been decided by penalties since the 2016 final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg... Читать дальше...
Barcelona survived a nervy second half to beat Napoli 3-1 on Tuesday and reach the Champions League quarter-finals 4-2 on aggregate.
