Author: Publisher
The death toll from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck off the coast of Indonesia’s eastern Flores Island rose to at least 20 on Saturday, as rescue teams continued searching for survivors and people trapped under rubble.Fathur Rahman, head of the rescue agency in the city of Maumere, said emergency teams had recovered the bodies of 20 people, while six others were injured and two remained trapped under rubble in the coastal city.Maumere is the main town in Sikka Regency on Flores Island, one of Indonesia’s major islands.Fathur said rescue teams had so far been unable to reach Nagekeo, the area closest to the earthquake’s epicenter, because communications had been disrupted there.Attempts to reach the area by road were hampered by landslides, while another team was trying to reach it by sea, he added.Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency said authorities had evacuated about 2,000 people from Nagekeo, where damage was reported to a number of homes, warehouses and government facilities.Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency issued a tsunami warning following the earthquake but lifted it about three hours later.The agency recorded the earthquake at a depth of 15 kilometers. Several aftershocks followed.Indonesia is highly prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Related Story Source link
The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Colombia on Monday has risen to 287, while nearly 400 people remain missing.Colombian authorities said Friday that more than two-thirds of the fatalities were recorded in the cities of Cali and Pereira. More than half of those injured are in major urban centers, while rescue teams in Pereira are racing against time to recover four people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed hotel, amid slim hopes of finding survivors.Government figures highlight the scale of the disaster, which has destroyed or severely damaged tens of thousands of homes, schools, healthcare facilities and public infrastructure across western Colombia. The widespread damage has placed significant strain on the region’s infrastructure and forced thousands of families to seek shelter in temporary facilities or remain outdoors. A series of powerful aftershocks has further complicated rescue and relief operations, increasing the risk of additional collapses in already damaged buildings. Related Story Source link
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced that one of its vessels was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on the evening of Friday, August 14. The incident resulted in no injuries, and the situation has been brought under control, the company said.In a statement, ADNOC stressed the importance of protecting the safety and well-being of seafarers, while safeguarding freedom of navigation and maritime security.The company urged the public to obtain information solely from official sources and to avoid circulating rumors or unverified information. Related Story Source link
A cricket tournament aimed at bringing together the Negombo community living in Qatar successfully concluded at Pearling School, Gharafa, on August 7, with seven teams taking part in the competition. After a series of exciting and closely contested matches in Qatar Negombians Premier League (QNPL) 2026 indoor cricket tournament, Negombo Kings emerged as the champions of the tournament. Negombo Challengers, who put up an impressive performance in the final, secured the runners-up position.Individual awards were also presented to players based on their performances and contributions throughout the tournament. Jeesan was named Batsman of the Tournament for his outstanding contribution with the bat throughout the competition. Meanwhile, Nifras received the Bowler of the Tournament award for his impressive bowling performances and significant contribution to his team’s success.Jeesan also secured the prestigious Player of the Tournament award for his all-round performance and consistency throughout the tournament. With seven teams participating, the tournament served not only as a platform for cricket but also as an opportunity to strengthen sportsmanship, community spirit and social unity among the Negombo community in Qatar. Related Story Source link
Bangladesh lead by 228 runs. Reuters 15 August, 2026, 10:40 am Last modified: 15 August, 2026, 10:53 am Opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim struck his maiden century…
Arsenal aim to begin the campaign on a positive note after ending a 22-year wait for the Premier League title. (Reuters) Arsenal are eager to get their hands on the first trophy of the new season when they face Manchester City in this weekend’s Community Shield, with manager Mikel Arteta saying that his squad have returned refreshed and highly motivated.Sunday’s traditional curtain-raiser will see Premier League champions Arsenal take on FA Cup winners City in Cardiff.Arsenal, who lost last season’s Champions League final to Paris St Germain on penalties, aim to begin the campaign on a positive note after ending a 22-year wait for the Premier League title.”It (the Community Shield) is a trophy, one that we can have because we earned it last year from winning the Premier League,” Arteta told reporters. “You can tell how hungry the players are, which is a good sign. I love the way the players have come back, most of them earlier than expected. Really fit, we’ve done all the testing. They all seem in great condition. The moment they start to look at each other, I said: look at the squad that we have and what we’re building. There’s a lot of excitement. The best version of Arsenal has to be on Sunday. That’s the intention. The best performance, the best way to start the season by lifting the first trophy. That’s the way we’ve prepared for the season. On day one, be at our maximum level.”The close season had also injected fresh competition into the squad following a busy spell of recruitment. Arsenal have made a number of key additions, led by midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United, alongside Christos Tzolis and goalkeeper Illan Meslier.The club were also linked with Brazil winger Vinicius Jr before the 26-year-old opted to extend his stay at Real Madrid. “It’s a very exciting part of the season …,” Arteta added. “There’s an opportunity to evolve and understand how every player is feeling. We are trying the maximum within 13 or 14 days to compete for every possible position …”I’m not going to talk about individuals. The ambition of the club is big. We want to improve and evolve the squad. We have detected the areas that can be strengthened.”Arteta also backed Enzo Maresca to do an “unbelievable job” after replacing Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager. Arteta, once Guardiola’s assistant at City, paid tribute to his old boss but expects Arsenal’s title rivals to remain a force under former Chelsea manager Maresca.”First of all for the Premier League, I think for the country, I think the way he has opened a different way of understanding the game. Here, I think he has escalated the Premier League to a different level,” Arteta said of Guardiola, who won 20 major trophies during his 10-year spell in charge of City.”I was very lucky to be part of that for four years and understand and witness how it’s done daily. I think it’s remarkable and unique. I would say that he’s the best coach in the history of football. For many reasons, he’s done it in different countries, in different ways. So, I think he will be missed in the Premier League.”City won the FA Cup and League Cup in Guardiola’s final season but finished as Premier League runners-up behind Arsenal.Arteta said: “It’s been a pleasure and now it’s Enzo. I know him well and he will provide something different to the club. What I know is that Enzo has the personality, the character, and especially the knowledge to have an unbelievable job there. That’s why he’s been selected, because they could probably pick anybody and they’ve gone for Enzo for the right reasons. He has demonstrated that at every level. What he’s done in the Champions League and what he’s done, when he’s been at Chelsea and now here, so I have no doubt that he will do a great job.” Related Story Source link
US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner will visit Israel next week in hopes of bridging gaps on a Gaza plan rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, officials said yesterday.Kushner and Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza of Trump's so-called Board of Peace implementing the deal, will visit both Israel and key mediator Egypt.The trip comes after Netanyahu publicly rejected a 15-point plan announced by Mladenov in which Hamas agreed to hand over its weapons to a new Palestinian governing committee in Gaza.A Board of Peace official said Kushner and Mladenov hoped for ‘constructive conversations’ on advancing Trump's overall peace plan that began with the October 2025 declaration of a ceasefire, which has reduced but not ended Israeli strikes in Gaza.’The US and Israel agree on the end state, which is a demilitarised Hamas,’ the official said on condition of anonymity.’We will hear the concerns that have been raised and talk about next steps. What is critical is that we both agree on the desired outcome and are finding ways to accelerate progress.’The latest part of the Gaza plan, to which Hamas agreed in late July, would start a phased Israeli withdrawal from much of the Gaza Strip, according to an initial version released by the Board of Peace.Mladenov later backtracked and said that Israel would not need to pull out troops until a complete Hamas disarmament.Netanyahu had vowed no pullout and has voiced scepticism that Hamas would disarm, saying it should destroy weapons in a verifiable way. Source link
The deal is believed to place Liverpool’s value at between £5bn and £6bn. (Reuters) Liverpool’s owners have agreed to sell a minority stake in the Premier League club to a consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.US-based Fenway Sports Group, owners of the 20-time English champions, said they had agreed the deal with 1892 Holdings, a consortium led by British-Indian millionaire Amit Bhatia and also featuring Bezos and Eduardo Saverin, who co-founded Facebook.According to reports, the stake acquired by the consortium is around one-third of the club. American tycoon Bezos is the fourth-richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $256bn.Bezos is not expected to join Liverpool’s expanded board of directors, which will reportedly feature Bhatia as the Premier League club’s vice-chairman. But Bryan Baum, founder of the venture capital firm K5 Sports, which Bezos is using to invest in Liverpool, is set to become an Anfield board member, alongside Saverin’s wife Elaine.”Liverpool has always been built by thinking beyond one season and making decisions with the club’s long-term interests in mind. That approach continues to attract interest from respected investors and business leaders around the world,” FSG president Mike Gordon said Friday.”As we considered this opportunity, it became clear that Amit and the consortium shared our long-term philosophy and appreciation for what makes Liverpool special.”The deal is believed to place Liverpool’s value at between £5bn ($6.8bn) and £6bn. It is Bezos’s first investment in a sports team after he was previously linked with purchasing NFL franchises Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders.Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, has extensive experience of football boardrooms after serving as QPR co-owner for 18 years before stepping away from the English Championship club once his Liverpool link became public knowledge.”We are incredibly proud to be investing in Liverpool Football Club and to be doing so alongside FSG. We have the utmost respect and admiration for FSG as owners and for everything they have achieved at Anfield,” Bhatia said.”To be welcomed as a partner in a club of this stature is a huge privilege. We are making this investment because we believe deeply in Liverpool and its leadership, and we look forward to supporting the club’s continued success for years to come.”FSG underlined they would retain control of decision-making at Anfield, saying the stake sale would “support Liverpool’s long-term growth ambitions by bringing together experts from across global business, technology, and investment”The consortium partners will work with FSG and the club’s leadership team to evaluate opportunities that enhance the club’s objectives on and off the pitch. FSG continues to retain majority ownership and operational control of Liverpool.”FSG bought Liverpool for £300mn in 2010 and sold a minority stake of around three percent to global sports investment firm Dynasty Equity three years ago.Liverpool start their Premier League campaign at Newcastle on August 23. They are looking to bounce back from a disappointing fifth place finish in the top-flight last season.That failure led to Arne Slot being sacked as Liverpool manager just 12 months after he masterminded the club’s Premier League title triumph in his first season after succeeding Jurgen Klopp. With several weeks until the Premier League transfer window closes, the new investment could be a boost to Reds boss Andoni Iraola as he looks to strengthen his squad for the new season.Liverpool have so far spent around £94mn on signing Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz since the end of last term. Related Story Source link
Rescuers raced against time in Colombia yesterday to free a man found alive beneath a collapsed hotel, a rare sign of hope nearly four days after one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the Andean nation in decades reduced neighbourhoods to rubble and left hundreds dead or missing.The operation in the coffee-region city of Pereira had become the main focus of a disaster response increasingly shifting from the search for survivors to the grim work of clearing debris and accounting for the missing.’Possibly there are (still) people alive, we believe so,’ rescuer John Bedoya told Caracol Television from the site, where emergency crews worked through a mound of concrete, brick and twisted metal. ‘One or two could be alive.’ The 7.4-magnitude quake struck shortly after 7:30am on Monday, with its epicenter in San Jose del Palmar in the Choco department. It toppled apartment blocks and damaged homes, schools and hospitals across western Colombia, from the Pacific port of Buenaventura to the inland cities of Cali and Pereira.Authorities said yesterday morning that 285 people had been killed and nearly 4,000 injured. Nearly 400 others were still missing.The government said tens of thousands of homes were damaged and many destroyed, underlining the scale of a disaster that has left many Colombians sleeping in shelters or outside unsafe buildings.The UN refugee agency warned yesterday the earthquake could trigger fresh displacement in a country already grappling with conflict, migration and other humanitarian pressures.’For internally displaced people and refugees who are already trying to rebuild their lives, this earthquake risks becoming another displacement on top of displacement,’ UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun told reporters in Geneva. Authorities have recorded scores of aftershocks since Monday, adding to the danger for rescuers combing through unstable debris and for families reluctant to return to damaged homes.The disaster is shaping up as the first major test for President Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office just days before the quake and has faced criticism for his initial handling of the disaster. He is set to make flying visits to five affected cities and towns on Friday, including Pereira, Cali and Quibdo. Source link
Romania’s David Popovici and Italy’s Simona Quadarella added to their gold-medal hauls at the European swimming championships on Friday while French star Leon Marchand booked his ticket to the 200m butterfly final as he returns from injury.Popovici was crowned European champion in the 200m freestyle for the third consecutive time with Quadarella taking the women’s 1500m continental title for a fourth time.The 21-year-old Popovici doubled his tally in Paris after his victory in the 100m freestyle earlier in the competition.The Olympic champion led the race from start to finish, swimming neck and neck with his rivals before pulling away in the final metres.Popovici touched the wall in 1min 44.15sec, edging out Lithuanian Tomas Navikonis by 0.40sec. Great Britain’s James Guy clocked 1min 44.87sec for bronze.Quadarella added the 1500m freestyle gold to the 800m freestyle title she won on Tuesday.The 27-year-old dominated her rivals, clocking 15min 46.22sec to finish ahead of Germans Isabel Gose and Maya Werner. The podium was the same as for the 800m.The Italian, an Olympic and 2024 world bronze medallist, followed on from her European titles in 2018, 2020, and 2022 in the distance.Meanwhile Marchand, who became the Olympic champion in his event in the French capital two years ago, qualified for Saturday’s 200m butterfly final with the fastest time of the semi-finals.In the Olympic pool in Saint-Denis to the north of Paris, Marchand completed his race in 1min 53.95sec after easing through the heats earlier in the day.”It was good, I really enjoyed myself. It was just in the last 50 metres that I struggled; my hips started to drop and my head was a bit higher than usual,” said Marchand.”I hope I’ll have a bit more energy to finish tomorrow evening.” First European goldA four-time Olympic champion and seven-time world champion, Marchand will be aiming to win a first ever continental title on Saturday.Hampered by a thigh injury picked up at French nationals in June, the 24-year-old has reduced his programme at these championships.Individually he is competing in just two events – the 200m butterfly and Sunday’s 400m freestyle.However, he has already won a silver medal with the 4x200m freestyle relay with France this week.Belgian Roos Vanotterdijk successfully defended her 100m butterfly title while Russia’s Evgeniia Chikunova, competing under a neutral flag, won the 200m breaststroke.Vanotterdijk, 21, the world silver medallist over the distance, led the way in 56.08sec.She took the gold 0.31sec ahead of Germany’s Angelina Kohler. Russian Daria Klepikova, also competing as a neutral, won bronze in 56.76sec.Chikunova clocked 2min 19.32sec to finish ahead of Great Britain’s Angharad Evans (2:21.21), who won the 100m breaststroke title on Wednesday, while Ireland’s Mona McSharry took bronze.Czech Miroslav Knedla won the men’s 50m backstroke in 24.11sec, edging Kliment Kolesnikov by just 0.01sec with a second Russian, Pavel Samusenko, taking bronze just 0.03 off the pace.Russian swimmers, competing under a neutral flag, won the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay as France were disqualified for a false start.The Russians, led by Egor Kornev, who won 100m silver on Wednesday, finished in 3min 19.95sec.The Netherlands, led by Marrit Steenbergen, took silver, ahead of an Italian team which included teenage star Sara Curtis. Related Story Source link