World Athletics votes to exclude transgender athletes who have transitioned from male to female

 

 
Transgender women have been banned from competing in the female category at international athletics events.
 The decision was made by World Athletics today in order to 'prioritise fairness and the integrity of the female competition before inclusion'.
 Seb Coe, the governing body's president, also confirmed athletes from Russia and Belarus would continue to be excluded from competition, including the Olympics, due to the war of Ukraine.
 That puts World Athletics in direct conflict with the International Olympic Committee, who are exploring a pathway for Russian and Belarusians to compete at Paris 2024 as 'neutrals'.

Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham Hotspur by mutual consent after his rant about the club

 

 Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte', has left the club, bringing an end to his reign as manager three months before the end of his contract.
 Cristian Stellini will take over as acting head coach with Ryan Mason his assistant.
 Conte leaves the club after his furious outburst in which he criticised the “spirit” and professionalism of his players, accusing them of being “selfish”, after last Saturday's 3-3 draw with Southampton. The Italian also appeared to aim veiled criticism at the club, saying failure to win was “Tottenham's story”.

Lionel Messi reaches 800 career goals in Argentina win

 

 Lionel Messi and Argentina celebrated their 2022 World Cup triumph with a memorable homecoming victory over Panama in Buenos Aires on Friday morning, March 24.
 Messi netted his 800th career goal in what was Argentina's first match since winning the 2022 World Cup as they beat Panama 2-0 in an international friendly.
The 35-year-old became only the second player to reach the impressive milestone after his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi now has a staggering 99 international goals to his name with 672 for Barcelona and 29 for Paris Saint-Germain.

Thousands of animal mummies discovered at ancient Egyptian site

 

 At least 2,000 mummified ram heads dating from the Ptolemaic period and a palatial Old Kingdom structure have been uncovered at the temple of Ramses II in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt, antiquities officials said on Saturday.
Mummified ewes, dogs, wild goats, cows, gazelles and mongooses were found in the temple along with the ram heads, which are thought to be votive offerings indicating continuing reverence for Ramses II at the site about 1,000 years after his death, a statement from the tourism and antiquities ministry said.
It added that the discoveries would expand knowledge of the site over a period of more than two millennia up to the Ptolemaic period. The Ptolemaic period spanned about three centuries until the Roman conquest in 30 BCE.

‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero to be released from Rwanda prison

 

Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the Hollywood film “Hotel Rwanda” and had been sentenced to prison in Rwanda, has been released from prison after having his sentence commuted by the country’s President Paul Kagame follwing his request for clemency.
 Rusesabagina was found guilty on terrorism-related charges in September 2021 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Rusesabagina, who is a dual Rwandan and Belgian citizen and resident of the United States, will be released on Saturday March 25, along with 19 other people that had been convicted alongside him
“Commutation of sentence does not extinguish the underlying conviction,” said Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo on Friday.

Dozens missing in latest shipwreck off Tunisia

 

 
At least 34 refugees are missing after their boat sank off Tunisia, officials have said, the latest in a string of tragedies this month.
The boat had set off Thursday from near Sfax and was trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy, Fawzi El Masmoudi, a court spokesman in the port city, said on Friday.
The incident raised the total number of missing to 67 as the number of boats heading towards Italy sharply increases.

Former Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel set to become new FC Bayern Munich head coach replacing Julian Nagelsmann

 

 Former Chelsea coach,Thomas Tuchel is set to return to management with FC Bayern Munich as Julian Nagelsmann is on the verge of being sacked.
The Bundesliga champions are struggling domestically this season and lie second behind Borussia Dortmund.
Nagelsmann, who hasn't been at the training ground this week, will meet with Bayern bosses on Friday when he will be officially informed of the decision.
Tuchel, 49, has been out of work since being sacked by the Stamford Bridge club in September under the new ownership of Todd Boehly.

Barcelona face a ban from the Champions League after paying millions to a company linked to Spanish referee chief Jose Negreira, as UEFA open an investigation

 

Spanish club, Barcelona is facing a new legal threat from UEFA, including a possible Champions League ban, following the discovery that the club paid millions of dollars to companies linked to a Spanish refereeing official.
 UEFA has requested their own investigation and the matter is already being pursued by prosecutors in Spain.
 The governing body's Champions League regulations, which have been in effect since 2007, allow the organisation to ban teams from the competition for one season if they are found to be involved in match fixing.

Chinese startup invents long-distance kissing machine to combat loneliness

 

A Chinese start-up has invented a long-distance kissing machine to battle loneliness among couples in long-distance relationships.
The device called MUA is named after the sound people commonly make when blowing a kiss.
It transmits users’ kiss data collected through motion sensors hidden in silicon lips, which simultaneously move when replaying kisses received. MUA also captures and replays sound and warms up slightly during kissing, making the experience more authentic, said Beijing-based Siweifushe.a

Karim Benzema 'turns down invitation to retirement ceremony at the Stade de France by email'

 

 Real Madrid star, Karim Benzema has reportedly turned down an invitation to a retirement ceremony at the Stade de France by email.
 France will face the Netherlands in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier.
 Ahead of the campaign opener, a group of French national team players who recently retired, including Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane, will be honoured.
 However, the Real Madrid striker declined the invitation explaining that 'he was not available', according to L'Équipe.

Teen killer Aiden Fucci sentenced to life in prison for stabbing 13-year-old cheerleader 114 times

 

 The Florida teen who stabbed a 13-year-old cheerleader when he was 14 years old has been sentenced to life in jail.
 Aiden Fucci fatally stabbed cheerleader Tristyn Bailey 114 times in 2021. He was sentenced Friday, March 24, to life in prison, authorities said.
Aiden Fucci, now 16, was handed the sentence by Judge R. Lee Smith, said Haley Harrison, with the State Attorney's Office 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida.
 Harrison said Fucci's sentence is subject to review by a judge in 25 years.

Nepal bans solo trekkers throughout the country

 

 Five years after banning solo adventurers from climbing Mount Everest, Nepal’s government has extended the restriction to the whole country.
Nepal is home to eight of the world’s tallest mountains, but it is also known for its beautiful rural trekking regions. From now on, travelers who hope to trek in remote regions must hire a government-licensed guide or join a group.
While the trekking industry is one of the country’s biggest moneymakers, the cost of search and rescue missions for solo hikers who get lost is significant.

Death toll from earthquakes in Turkey totals 48,000

 

 
Turkish President, Recep Erdogan has confirmed that the number of people killed by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey’s SouthEast has reached 48,000, with over 115,000 people injured
“The death toll has reached 48,000 and the number of injured has exceeded 115,000,” Erdogan said in a televised address to the nation from the Samandag district of Hatay province.
On February 6, two earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 hit the southeastern regions of Turkey with an interval of nine hours.
Thousands of underground shocks that followed were felt in 11 Turkish provinces, as well as in the neighbouring countries, including Syria.

Oscars 2023: See the full list of winners

 

 The 95th Annual Academy awards were presented on Sunday, March 12, 2023 at the Dolby theater and it was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.
 Going into the awards show, Everything Everywhere All at Once led with the most nominations, 11 total, including for Best Picture. The other nine films in that top category are: All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, The Fabelmans, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick, Triangle of Sadness and Women Talking.
 Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven awards at the event. The movie was named best picture at the award show and it also won three acting awards, best leading actress for Michelle Yeoh, best-supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan, and best supporting actress for Jamie Lee Curtis.

"This needs to be treated with the utmost concern" Scientists warn as bird flu mutates to infect people

 

 
A bird flu strain has evolved to better infect human cells in a worrying sign.
 Scientists on the ground who made the discovery said the finding “needs to be treated with the utmost concern”.
 The bird flu strain known as H5N1 claimed the life of a schoolgirl in Cambodia last week.
 Scientists said that there were “some indications” the virus had already “gone through” a human and picked up the new mutations before infecting the girl.
 The 11-year-old girl, from Prey Veng province, became the first victim of H5N1 in 2023. Her father has also tested positive for the virus but has not developed symptoms.  

Vanessa Bryant Settles Helicopter Crash Photos Lawsuit for $28.85 Million

 

Los Angeles County agreed to pay Vanessa Bryant and three of her daughters nearly $30 million to settle a lawsuit and potential claims over the sharing of graphic photos of the January 2020 helicopter crash that killed Bryant’s husband, the basketball star Kobe Bryant, and one of their daughters, according to a court filing on Tuesday. The settlement includes $15 million a jury awarded Vanessa Bryant in August, with additional funds to settle potential claims from her daughters.
“Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct,” Luis Li, Bryant’s lawyer, said in a statement. “She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect. We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice.”

Elon Musk unblocks everyone on Twitter, calls negative feedback a good thing

 

 
Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter and Tesla, on Friday night, February 24, confirmed that he has unblocked everyone on the microblogging platform, calling "negative feedback a good thing".
 The multi-billionaire clarified that everyone that he has ever blocked on Twitter has been unblocked, apart from scammers. He further recommended people to do the same thing to encourage negative feedback.
 "I have unblocked everyone I blocked, apart from scammers. I recommend others do the same. Negative feedback is a good thing," Musk tweeted on Saturday night, February 24.
Ever since Musk acquired the microblogging platform last year, he has been bringing in a lot of changes, including to his own personal Twitter account.