S.Africa backtracks on masks for children amid Covid surge
The South African government on Thursday retracted its earlier announcement stating school children were no longer required to wear masks amid a surge of infections driven by two new Omicron sub-variants.
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Death toll rises to 26 in Chinese building collapse
Chinese authorities raised the number of people confirmed dead in a building collapse to 26 on Thursday, nearly a week after the block containing apartments, a hotel and a cinema caved in and emergency workers launched a massive rescue operation to pull out survivors.
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Briton held in Cyprus after beach buggy kills Swede
A 25-year-old British tourist was detained in Cyprus police custody on Thursday, suspected of killing a Swedish woman with a beach buggy in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa.
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Russian oligarch's yacht seized in Fiji on US request
Authorities in Fiji have seized the $300 million yacht of Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov after the US Justice Department requested the vessel be held for violating sanctions and for alleged ties to corruption, the department said Thursday.
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Pound slumps after tepid BoE rate hike
The pound tumbled after the Bank of England raised interest rates by just a quarter of a percentage point despite surging inflation, while oil prices jumped after OPEC+ only modestly hiked production.
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Thousands sick as latest severe sandstorm sweeps across Iraq
One person died in Iraq and more than 5,000 were treated in hospitals Thursday for respiratory ailments due to a sandstorm, the seventh in a month, the health ministry said.
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Lufthansa warns of price rises as tourist demand takes off
German national carrier Lufthansa said Thursday that ticket prices could rise as the cost of energy soars following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Hungary strongman Orban goes for gold in hosting sports events
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban is an ally of Vladimir Putin and he has taken a leaf out of the Russian president's book in attracting major sporting events to boost his image among his people.
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Moscow says Western aid cannot prevent Russian victory in Ukraine
Russia on Thursday said Western aid to Kyiv had slowed its offensive in Ukraine but would not thwart its victory, as conflicting reports emerged about efforts to rescue civilians from a besieged steel plant in the devastated city of Mariupol.
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Top oil producers agree on modest supply boost amid demand concerns
Saudi Arabia, Russia and other key oil producers agreed on Thursday to another marginal increase in output, bolstered by risks to demand amid coronavirus restrictions in China.
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