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‘Leaning tower’ in Italy on ‘high alert’ for collapse

2Dec

By AdminsNo Comments

‘Leaning tower’ in Italy on ‘high alert’ for collapse

It's the 'leaning tower' that has stood tipsily – but steadily – for nearly 1000 years. But now, the days of the Garisenda tower in Bologna, Italy, could be numbered. Following investigations last month, the city is instigating a civil protection plan for the "sudden and unexpected collapse of the tower," which has dominated the Bologna skyline since the 12th century. A protective metal cordon will be erected to "contain debris resulting from a possible collapse, to reduce the vulnerability of surrounding buildings and the exposure to the population, as well as blocking access to the off-limits area," the city council said in a statement. The cordon will be fixed into the ground, and will include specially designed rockfall protection nets, also made of metal and ...

Putin orders the Russian military to add 170,000 troops for a total of 1.32 million

2Dec

By AdminsNo Comments

Putin orders the Russian military to add 170,000 troops for a total of 1.32 million

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the country's military to increase the number of troops by nearly 170,000 to a total of 1.32 million, as Moscow’s military action in Ukraine continues into its 22nd month. Putin's decree was released by the Kremlin on Friday and took force immediately. It brings the overall number of Russian military personnel to about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the country's military to increase the number of troops by nearly 170,000. (AP) It is the second such expansion of the army since 2018. The previous boost by 137,000 troops, ordered by Putin in August 2022, put the military's numbers at about 2 million personnel and about 1.15 million troops. The Defence Ministry sa...

Oklahoma executes man for double murder he claimed was self defence

1Dec

By AdminsNo Comments

Oklahoma executes man for double murder he claimed was self defence

Oklahoma executed 59-year-old death row inmate Phillip Hancock, who was sentenced to death for the 2001 double murder of Robert Jett and James Lynch, officials said. Hancock – who had claimed the killings were done in self-defence – was pronounced dead at 11.29am on Thursday, the state's Department of Corrections said. Hancock's execution went ahead after Governor Kevin Stitt declined to halt it despite a recommendation by the state's parole board that he receive clemency, Hancock's lawyers said in a statement. CNN has reached out to the governor's office for comment. Stitt was not bound by the recommendation of the board, which voted three to two in favour of clemency at a hearing earlier this month. On Thursday, following the execution, Jett's brother said the f...

Japan suspends its Osprey flights after the fatal crash of a US Air Force aircraft

1Dec

By AdminsNo Comments

Japan suspends its Osprey flights after the fatal crash of a US Air Force aircraft

Japan is suspending flights by its Osprey aircraft, officials said, one day after a US Air Force Osprey based in Japan crashed into the sea during a training mission. Tokyo said it also asked the US military to ground all Ospreys operating in Japan except for those joining the search operations at the crash site. At least one of the eight crew members aboard was killed, but the status of the others is not yet known. It comes just three months after a US Marine Corps Osprey with 23 on board crashed on the Tiwi Islands near Darwin during a multinational military exercise. Nicknamed the "Widowmaker" by some pilots, the revolutionary Osprey aircraft is part helicopter and part aircraft and is notoriously difficult to fly. Three US marines were killed and five ser...

Wife of Ukraine’s top military intelligence official hospitalised with apparent heavy metals poisoning

29Nov

By AdminsNo Comments

Wife of Ukraine’s top military intelligence official hospitalised with apparent heavy metals poisoning

The wife of Ukraine's top military intelligence official has been hospitalised with apparent heavy metals poisoning, according to Ukrainian and Western officials. Marianna Budanova is the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, whose military intelligence agency GUR has been deeply involved in Ukraine's efforts to oust Russia from its territory, and Western officials have been immediately suspicious that Russian agents may have paid off a staff member to carry out the poisoning. Test results show that Ukrainian Defence Intelligence staff have also been sickened, according to Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for the agency, and Ukraine is investigating the situation. American and Western intelligence officials have not independently verified the poisoning but believe Ukrainian reports to be a...

France to ban smoking on beaches and public parks

29Nov

By AdminsNo Comments

France to ban smoking on beaches and public parks

France will ban smoking on beaches and public parks, the country's health minister said, presenting a series of measures as the government looks to prevent 75,000 tobacco-related deaths per year. The measures - part of a government plan to combat smoking - aim to create a "tobacco-free generation by 2032." Speaking at a press conference, French Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau said smoking on beaches, public parks, forests and some other public spaces, including close to schools, will soon be banned in France. The minister did not give an exact timeline but speaking to CNN-affiliate BFMTV, he hinted that people could face fines as early as next year. Rousseau also announced a gradual price increase for cigarettes, saying that a packet would cost 12 euros ($19) in...