News from around the world
A fire at a St Petersburg hospital has killed five coronavirus patients in an intensive care unit. The blaze was apparently started by a short-circuit in a ventilator, Russian news agencies reported. The fire has now been contained and 150 people have been evacuated from the hospital, the country’s emergency ministry said. It is not […]
Image copyright Steve Johnson Image caption Scott Johnson’s death was only recently re-investigated as a gay hate crime Australian police have charged a man with the decades-old murder of a gay US student in Sydney. The body of Scott Johnson, 27, was found at the bottom of beach cliffs in 1988. Police ruled it a […]
In the Finnish resort of Levi, 150kms (93 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, the ski season normally goes into May. This year, that was cut short when they had to close in March because of Covid-19, despite having the best snowfall in living memory. Locals have decided they must do something to help themselves […]
Image copyright Getty Images Tesla has reopened its only US electric car plant in California, despite local orders against manufacturing. On Monday, the company’s chief executive Elon Musk tweeted that production had restarted and he would be “on the line with everyone else”. US states and local governments are trying to determine the best way […]
Image copyright Getty Images India’s CO2 emissions have fallen for the first time in four decades – and not just as a result of the country’s coronavirus lockdown. Falling electricity use and competition from renewables had weakened the demand for fossil fuels even before the coronavirus hit, according to analysis by the environmental website, Carbon […]
Image copyright Getty Images Bitcoin has just gone through a much-hyped adjustment that reduced the rate at which new coins are created. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency’s so-called “halving” happens roughly every four years. The digital currency relies on what are known as “miners”, who run software that races to solve complex maths puzzles in return […]
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A state of emergency has been declared in Tillaberi region since 2017 (file photo) At least 20 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen on several villages in Niger, local authorities say. Tidjani Ibrahim Katiella, governor of Tillaberi region, said the assailants were riding motorbikes during the incidents […]
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The incident took place near the Strait of Hormuz Nineteen sailors have been killed and 15 others wounded in a “friendly fire” incident involving two Iranian naval vessels, the navy has said. Iranian state media reported that a new anti-ship missile being tested by the frigate Jamaran hit the […]
Image copyright Getty Images Saudi Arabia is tripling its value added tax (VAT) as part of austerity measures to support its coronavirus-hit economy. The government in Riyadh also said it will suspend its cost of living allowance to shore up state finances. The oil-rich nation has seen its income plummet as the impact of the […]
Image copyright EPA Image caption Melbourne man Richard Pusey is facing a dozen charges related to the fatal crash An Australian man filmed and mocked four police officers as they lay dying, a court has heard according to local media. Richard Pusey, 41, who faces charges of reckless conduct and obstructing justice, applied for bail […]
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Avianca planes have been grounded since March Colombia’s national airline, Avianca, has filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court. The carrier is the second-largest in Latin America, but its passenger operations have been grounded since March because of coronavirus. It said the pandemic had cut more than 80% […]
Image copyright Sinoxolo Funeral Directors Image caption Restrictions have been placed on funerals A ban on large funerals in South Africa has forced people to give up many traditions, but they have also rediscovered old ones, including “secret burials”, as the BBC’s Pumza Fihlani reports from Johannesburg. All it took was one funeral and 40 […]