OSLO (Norway): Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are known for their tiny heads, English bulldogs for their smushed wrinkled muzzles — traits their owners love. But in an unprecedented move, Norway has banned the breeding of these dogs because being cute is causing them suffering. In a recent ruling, the Oslo
HONG KONG: HSBC today announced bumper 2021 profits and plans to repurchase shares worth up to $1.0 billion as the Asia-focused bank continues its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and major restructuring. The lender endured a tumultuous 2020 like the rest of the banking sector as the virus outbreak rocked
DUNDEE: Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi are fighting for pardons for all those executed for witchcraft in Scotland, the vast majority of whom were women, and for a memorial to those forgotten by history. “Between the 16th and 18th century in Scotland, approximately 4,000 people were accused of witchcraft,” explained
TOULON: Her 118th birthday wish is “to die soon”. But in the meantime, Lucile Randon, better-known as “Sister Andre”, always keeps her door open for any visitor who might want to say hello. Sister Andre is the oldest-known woman in France and Europe, and the second-oldest in the world after
RIYADH: Red clothing and underwear are displayed in Saudi shopfronts, but the increasingly popular Valentine’s Day promotions are missing one thing: the festival’s name. While sales surge and Valentine’s gifts become more common among the youthful Saudi population, the word “Valentine’s” is nowhere to be seen. “Management has asked us
He says it’s an “incomparable feeling” as the Blues get their coveted trophy ABU DHABI: Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel described winning the Club World Cup as an “incomparable feeling” as the European champions got their hands on the last major trophy missing from their cabinet. Kai Havertz repeated his heroics
Saint Valentine’s Day may now be celebrated worldwide but traditions are often very different ― and sometimes have nothing at all to do with romance. While in Europe it’s all about couples cosying up, in the United States it is as much about schoolchildren celebrating friendship while in Japan women
WASHINGTON: Good news for senior felines hoping to get a spring back in their step. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved its first treatment to control pain associated with osteoarthritis in cats, which is also the first monoclonal antibody drug approved for any animal species. These
NEW YORK: The United States’ Omicron wave is beginning to recede in New York and other major cities, official data showed this week, even as COVID-19 hospitalisations, a lagging indicator, reached new highs. The trend of explosive rises in Omicron cases followed by equally fast declines follows similar patterns seen
Beauty pageants, races spur high demand DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Cloning is in high demand in the competitive world of camel beauty pageants, leaving scientists at a Dubai clinic working round the clock to produce carbon-copy beasts. Not every animal is blessed with sought-after drooping lips and a tall, elegant