Tuesday, 24 March 2026

Author: AFP

Six more detained over China blast that killed 78

BEIJING: Police have detained six more suspects linked to a chemical plant blast in eastern China last month which killed 78 and left hundreds injured, local authorities said. The explosion in Jiangsu province’s Yancheng city last month was one of the worst industrial accidents in the country in recent years

2018 a record for French tourism, despite ‘yellow vest’ protests

French tourism figures reached a new record in 2018 despite weeks of violent “yellow vest” protests that caused a late slump, the national statistics institute (INSEE) said Tuesday. The number of nights spent by people at French tourist accommodation, including hotels, campsites and youth hostels, rose to 438.2 million in

Renting flat-pack furniture? Ikea’s push to go green

STOCKHOLM: Ikea will start renting and recycling furniture worldwide as part of an eco-friendly drive to address concerns its affordable, flat-pack business model leads to overconsumption and waste. Sceptics see the Swedish giant’s initiative as a mere marketing ploy, while supporters see a genuine sea change. Either way, Ikea says

Water battles with elephants kick off Thai New Year

Elephants with hearts and flowers painted on their bodies sprayed water at revellers celebrating Thailand’s traditional new year Thursday, in an annual event which has animal protection groups crying foul over animal cruelty. In Thailand’s former capital Ayutthaya, a tourist hotspot famed for its ancient temple ruins, more than a

‘Grand old lady’ — HK begins long farewell to famous Sevens home

The Hong Kong Sevens is getting ready to farewell its long-term home and move to a new stadium in a major reboot as rival cities up their game. The 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium has witnessed rugby greats including Jonah Lomu and David Campese, inspiring a thriving sevens world series and

Hamilton wins 1,000th race in Mercedes 1-2

SHANGHAI: Lewis Hamilton won the 1,000th Formula One Grand Prix yesterday after grabbing the lead from Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas at the first corner and powering to victory in blustery Shanghai. Hamilton, who started from second on the grid, took the world championship lead after romping home to win the

Marseille survive late VAR drama to stay in Champions League hunt

PARIS: Marseille kept up their hunt for Champions League football on Saturday despite losing in-form striker Mario Balotelli to injury after VAR saw them escape last-gasp penalty drama to beat Nimes 2-1. Balotelli has helped kick-start Marseille’s chase for European football with seven goals in 11 Ligue 1 appearances since

Pogba saves Man United Tottenham go up third

LONDON: Manchester United needed two Paul Pogba penalties to stay in contention for a top-four Premier League finish by beating West Ham 2-1, while Tottenham moved up to third thanks to Lucas Moura’s hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Huddersfield on Saturday. United had lost four of their previous five

SPAL put Juventus title celebrations on hold, Kessie keeps Milan fourth

MILAN: Juventus slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat at lowly SPAL on Saturday to put their Serie A title celebrations on hold, while Franck Kessie scored from the spot to keep AC Milan in the Champions League places with a 1-0 win over Lazio. Massimiliano Allegri’s side had needed just

Dortmund top with nerve-jangling win over Mainz

BERLIN: Jadon Sancho’s first-half brace and Roman Buerki’s goalkeeping heroics helped pile the pressure back onto Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga title race as Borussia Dortmund survived a late scare to secure a 2-1 win over Mainz on Saturday. Dortmund were left licking their wounds after a 5-0 humiliation in