Author: Opalim Lifted

People are once again wearing face masks as a result of a bizarre viral outbreak that is taking over several hospitals in China. Videos of congested hospital units in China, parents waiting in lengthy lines with ailing children, and patients wearing face masks in crowded facilities have been making the rounds on social media. Unverified reports of overcrowded crematoriums and burial homes have raised concerns and parallels to the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Local news outlets have attributed the outbreak to human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a virus that typically causes mild cold-like symptoms. However, Chinese health officials…

Erling Haaland scored twice in the Premier League for the first time in over three months as Manchester City, Man City hammered West Ham to equal their biggest win of the season. Haaland followed up his header late in the first half by calmly chipping over advancing West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola after running on to a through ball from Savinho. Savinho was arguably Man City’s best player. It was the Brazilian who forced their 10th-minute opener with a left-wing cross that deflected off Vladimir Coufal and left Areola stranded. Phil Foden added a fourth, tapping home only his second…

Chelsea’s winless Premier League run has been extended to four games after Jean-Philippe Mateta struck late to salvage a draw for Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The Blues ended 2024 in disappointing fashion – losing successive matches and failing to win in three – and that problematic form has been carried over into 2025. Cole Palmer got Chelsea off to the perfect start after 14 minutes, scoring his 13th goal in the league after some fine work from Jadon Sancho. The Blues pressed for further goals but Nicolas Jackson spurned three chances while Sancho, Moises Caicedo and Josh Acheampong shot…

Alexander Isak continued his magnificent scoring run as Newcastle came from behind to inflict another home defeat on Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham and stretch their winning run in all competitions to six matches. The visitors came into Saturday’s Premier League game in scintillating form but fell behind after just three minutes when Pedro Porro’s in-swinging delivery was headed in by Dominic Solanke. However, Anthony Gordon restored parity two minutes later, firing low past Spurs’ debutant goalkeeper Brandon Austin into the far corner in front of watching England manager Thomas Tuchel. Spurs were adamant Joelinton should have been penalised for handball in…

Tottenham are set to sign Slavia Prague goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky in a deal worth about £12.5m. The 21-year-old would give Tottenham further options in goal, having lost number one Guglielmo Vicario to a fractured ankle in November. Multiple sources involved in the deal say a fee has been agreed for the Czech Republic Under-21 player but the move has not been publicly confirmed yet by Spurs or Slavia Prague. It is hoped Kinsky will complete paperwork and a medical this weekend before sealing a permanent move to north London. He has made 29 appearances for Slavia Prague this season and…

A young boy has been found alive after surviving five days in a game park inhabited by lions and elephants in northern Zimbabwe, according to a member of parliament. The ordeal began when Tinotenda Pudu wandered at least 23 km (14 miles) from home into the “perilous” Matusadona Game Park, said Mashonaland West MP Mutsa Murombedzi on X. He spent five days “sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits”, she said. Matusadona game park has about 40 lions. At one point, it had one of the highest lion population densities in Africa, according to…

Meta promptly deleted several of its own AI-generated accounts after human users began engaging with them and posting about the bots’ sloppy imagery and tendency to go off the rails and even lie in chats with humans. The issue emerged last week when Connor Hayes, a vice president for Meta’s generative AI, told the Financial Times that the company expects its homemade AI users to appear on its platforms in much the same way human accounts do. “They’ll have bios and profile pictures and be able to generate and share content powered by AI on the platform… that’s where we see…

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake has struck northern Ethiopia, where a volcano erupted after months of increased seismic activity, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and local media said. The EMSC said the quake, which occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometres (6 miles), hit some 55 kilometres (34 miles) northwest of the city of Asbe Teferi. No injuries have been reported so far. A nearby volcano also erupted after months of intense seismic activity, according to local media. Aden Bela, a local official, told the Ethiopian broadcaster EBC that the volcanic eruption had taken place at 5:30 am on Friday…

House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson was reelected to the chamber’s top job on Friday in a lengthy vote that highlighted persistent divisions among Donald Trump’s Republicans on Capitol Hill. Mike Johnson appeared to initially fall short of the majority he would need to retain his job in an hour-long roll-call vote, but two Republican opponents switched their votes to support him after more than half an hour of negotiations. He won reelection with 218 votes – the minimum number needed. Republicans control the chamber by a razor-thin 219-215 majority. The vote was an early test of the party’s ability…

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old France centre-back, Fofana hurt himself while stepping on the ball when challenging Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins during the Blues’ 3-0 win on 1 December. He had started 12 of Chelsea’s 13 Premier League games until then, only missing one through suspension. At the time boss Enzo Maresca predicted he would be out for “at least three, four, five weeks”. But the Italian now says his centre-back will be out for a “very long time” in a “big blow”, although does not require…