Author: Opalim Lifted

Iranian “morality” police are resuming controversial patrols to ensure women obey dress codes and cover their hair in public, state media reports. The “morality police” will return to the streets to enforce Iran’s hijab laws, a spokesman said on Sunday. It comes 10 months after a young woman, Mahsa Amini, died in custody following her arrest in Tehran for allegedly breaking the dress code. Her death triggered massive national protests, and the patrols were paused. However, Islamic hardliners have been demanding that the patrols be resumed for some time. Under Iranian law, which is based on the country’s interpretation of…

Youth unemployment in China has hit a new record high as the country’s post-pandemic recovery falters. The jobless rate among 16- to 24-year-olds in urban areas rose to 21.3% last month, official figures show. It comes as the world’s second-largest economy grew just 0.8% in the three months to the end of June. Analysts say the weak pace of growth has raised expectations that authorities may soon announce new measures to boost the economy. China’s National Bureau of Statistics said the data “showed a good momentum of recovery”. According to official figures released on Monday, the Chinese economy grew by…

Twitter has lost almost half of its advertising revenue since it was bought by Elon Musk for $44 billion (£33.6 billion) last October, its owner has revealed. He said the company had not seen the increase in sales that had been expected in June but added that July was a “bit more promising”. Mr. Musk sacked about half of Twitter’s 7,500 staff when he took over in 2022 in an effort to cut costs. Rival app Threads now has 150 million users, according to some estimates. Its in-built connection to Instagram automatically gives the Meta-designed platform access to a potential…

Carlos Alcaraz won the Wimbledon men’s singles title for the first time by ending Novak Djokovic’s recent dominance with a stunning victory. Spain’s Alcaraz, 20, fought back from a nervy start to win 1-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 against the defending champion. Djokovic was going for a fifth straight win, an eighth men’s triumph, and a 24th major—all record-equaling feats. But the 36-year-old Serb was outlasted by top seed Alcaraz, who underlined his class by winning a second major title. “It is a dream come true for me,” Alcaraz, who was playing in only his fourth grass-court tournament, said.…

Lisa Pauli has wrestled with eating disorder anorexia for decades in CanadaThe 47-year-old has wrestled with the eating disorder anorexia for decades in Canada; she says she has had a warped relationship with her body since age 8. These days, Pauli says, she weighs 92 pounds and may go days without eating solid food. She says she is too weak to carry groceries home without stopping for breaks. “Every day is hell,” she said. “I’m so tired. I’m done. I’ve tried everything. I feel like I’ve lived my life.” Pauli cannot legally get medical help to die yet. An expansion…

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has stripped Harry Maguire of the captaincy of the team, the England International disclosed on Sunday. Maguire has been linked with a move away from Manchester United after he fell out of favour with Ten Hag, who prefers the defensive partnership of Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez. Portugal international Bruno Fernandes captained the Red Devils for most of last season and is expected to be named captain. Maguire said he was gutted to be stripped of the captain’s armband but will continue to fight for his place in the squad. “After discussions with…

West Ham are interested in signing Manchester United captain Harry Maguire. The 30-year-old England defender has an uncertain future at Old Trafford as Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez have emerged as Erik ten Hag’s first-choice centre-backs. Arsenal to sign West Ham’s Rice for £105m United also need to sell players to boost Ten Hag’s chances of reshaping his squad in the current transfer window as he closes in on Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana. Maguire’s contract runs to 2025. The centre-back arrived at United from Leicester City for £80 million in 2019, but is known to be among the players…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, “to drop the scandalous plan to spend N40bn on 465 exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials and N70bn as ‘palliatives’ for new members.” SERAP urged them to “repeal the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act to reduce the budget for the National Assembly by N110bn, reflect the current economic realities in the country, and address the impact of the removal of fuel subsidies on the over 137 million poor Nigerians.” SERAP also urged them to “request…

Operatives of the FCT Police Command, in the early hours of Sunday morning, swiftly responded to a distress call following the kidnapping of two residents by suspected bandits. During the exchange of gunfire, the hoodlums abandoned the victims and fled into the bush. Chronicle NG earlier reported that Residents of the Mpape community had reported that gunmen, believed to be seven in number, invaded the area between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. in the wee hours and forcefully took away the two residents. “They were shooting sporadically, causing residents to wake up and start calling the police”. “After some time,…

At least 4,000 people have been evacuated as a forest fire burns out of control on the Spanish island of La Palma, authorities said on Sunday, as Europe struggles to cope with a heatwave. The fire in La Palma started in the early hours of Saturday in El Pinar de Puntagorda, a wooded area in the north of the island in the Canaries. The blaze forced the evacuation of people from the villages of Puntagorda and neighbouring Tijarafe. Ten aerial units and 300 firefighters on the ground sought to bring the wildfire under control on the island, which forms part…