German pilot dies in hot air balloon crash

 

 The pilot of a hot air balloon has died and two passengers were severely injured after it crashed near the banks of the River Rhine in Germany, police said on Monday, August 17. The balloon was caught by a gust of wind as it came into land at about 8pm on Sunday near Urbar, south of Koblenz in western Germany, according to an initial investigation by local police.
 The balloon hit the ground several times, throwing four passengers out of the basket, before being dragged down a hill and getting caught in a tree, police said.
 The pilot, who was stuck in the basket, died from his injuries.
 The two injured are in a serious condition but out of danger, according to police, with all the passengers flown to local hospitals.
 More than 100 people assisted in the rescue operation.

Almost 300 employees test positive for COVID-19 at factory that makes sandwiches for M&S

 
Nearly 300 employees have tested positive for coronavirus at a factory that makes sandwiches for M&S. The Greencore factory in Northampton said some of its staff are now self-isolating after the COVID-19 diagnosis. Greencore said 79 workers had tested positive through NHS tests before the company decided to bring in a private testing program.
 A further 213 positive results came back - taking the total number of positive results to 292.
Greencore told Sky News that the company is still waiting for some results to come back. A spokesman was unable to confirm how many but said it was less than 100.

Mesut Ozil will regret wasted years at Arsenal if he stays - Former striker Alan Smith warns

 
 

Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith, has warned Arsenal star player Mesut Ozil that he will live to 'regret wasted years' after the 31 year old midfielder announced last week he will see out the last one year of his lucrative £350,000 per week salary at Arsenal despite not having regular game time.
 Last week in a wide ranging interview, Ozil revealed that he will run down a lucrative deal with the Gunners and become a free agent during the summer of 2021 instead of seeking a new challenge outside north London.
 But Smith has urged Ozil to reconsider his stance.

Manchester City legend, Vincent Kompany retires from professional football at the age of 34

Former Manchester City captain, Vincent Kompany has reportedly retired from professional football to become the full-time manager of Belgian side, Anderlecht. The 34-year-old first joined the Belgian side in a player-manager role back in May 2019, but has now hung up his boots and will take on the full managerial role at the club
While on his player-manager role, he stepped down from the managerial side and focused on playing after Anderlecht suffered their worst start to a season since 1998-99.

Miss London 2020 winner rocks Coronavirus visor as she is officially crowned (Photos)

 

The winner of Miss London 2020 was pictured rocking coronavirus visor as she was officially crowned on Sunday, August 16. Jessica Kang, a 25-year-old professional model who also works in HR for London’s Ealing Council came out top via virtual contest back in March 2020. She was officially crowned at a ceremony that took place at the five star Taj 51 Buckingham Gate hotel in Central London yesterday.
 In one photo, Jessica who was dressed in a flowing red dress was pictured with the 1st and 2nd runner who both also rocked coronavirus visors.
Before the final stage of the beauty pageant, contestants had to submit catwalk and talent videos from their homes.

Liverpool forward, Sadio Mane beats Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne to win Premier League PFA Fans' Player of the Year award

 

Liverpool forward, Sadio Mane has won the Premier League PFA Fans' Player of the Year award for 2019-20. The Senegal international, 28, scored 18 goals and provided seven assists in the top flight last season to help the Reds clinch their Premier League title with a club-record 99 points.
 In a poll of football fans across the country, Mane took 41 percent of the vote to see off competition from Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne (27 percent) and teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold (17 percent).
 Mané joined Liverpool for a transfer fee of £34 million on a five-year contract in June 2016. The transfer fee made him the most expensive African player in history at the time.

China finds coronavirus traces on chicken wings from Brazil

 

 Authorities in southern China said on Thursday that they had found traces of the coronavirus on frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil. The surface of a sample of the imported chicken wings tested positive for the virus, the city of Shenzhen said in a statement on WeChat.
The city’s Epidemic Prevention and Control Office organised nucleic acid testing for everyone who may have been exposed to the products, authorities said, adding that the results came back negative.
China, in recent months, started screening all meat and seafood containers coming into major ports.
Screening efforts intensified after a coronavirus outbreak in Beijing in June was linked to the city’s Xinfadi wholesale food market.
The first coronavirus outbreak in December was linked to the Huanan seafood market in the central city of Wuhan.

Kevin De Bruyne is crowned Premier League Player of the Season as fans vote Manchester City star ahead of Liverpool's title-winning heroes

 

 Kevin De Bruyne has been crowned the 2019-20 Premier League Player of the Season.
The Manchester City star was voted for by the fans ahead of Liverpool's title-winning heroes.
Reds skipper Jordan Henderson won the Football Writers Player of the Season award and was hotly-tipped to win this honour too.
Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope was a shock nominee for Premier League Player of the Season with champions Liverpool dominating seven-man shortlist.

Canada finance minister resigns amid friction with Trudeau and charity scandal

 

 Canada’s finance minister resigned on Monday amid friction with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over spending policies and after coming under fire for his ties to a charity tapped to run a student grant program. Bill Morneau said he would not run for parliament again and would instead seek to become the next secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Just last week, Trudeau had expressed confidence in his finance minister as rumors swirled of a rift between the two men. Morneau, 57, has been in the job since Trudeau’s Liberals took power in 2015.
“This morning I went to the prime minister and I tendered my resignation,” Morneau told reporters at a hastily arranged news conference on Monday evening.
“It’s appropriate that the prime minister find someone with a longer term approach for the role, since I’m not running for office,” he added.

Russian powerlifter breaks both knees as attempt to squat 400kg goes horribly wrong in terrifying video

 

A Russian powerlifting champion has fractured both of his knees while attempting to squat 400kg (880lb).  Defending champion, Alexander Sedykh was competing in the World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) European Championships near Moscow when the terrifying incident occurred.
 In the shocking video, Sedykh's legs can be seen shaking after holding the weight on his shoulders. As he prepares for the squat with the enormous weight, both of his knees buckled horribly, and he cried out in anguish.
He fractured both his knees in the incident and also ruptured his quadriceps muscles.

Uganda suffers another nationwide power outage

Uganda today was hit by a nationwide power outage whose cause is not yet known, the state-run power generation company said. The Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) said in a statement that investigations are underway to determine the cause of the power blackout.
“We are experiencing a nationwide total blackout. Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause and restore as fast as possible,’’ said the statement.
Umeme Limited, the country’s main electricity distribution company, said it is working with other stakeholders to restore power supply in the East African country.
“We are working with UETCL and all stakeholders to have power restored as soon as possible. All inconveniences caused are regretted,’’ it said in a tweet.
The country has lately been experiencing nationwide power outages, with the recent being on June 21.

Arsenal goalkeeper, Bernd Leno marries long-term girlfriend Sophie Christin in Germany (photos)

 

 Arsenal and German goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, 28, has married long-term girlfriend Sophie Christin, 23.
The couple who have been together for five years got married today, August 12, in Düsseldorf, Germany. The newlyweds took to Instagram to share lovely photos from their wedding.
Leno joined Arsenal in 2018 from Bayer Leverkusen and has made over 60 appearances for the Premier League club. He missed the final months of the season sidelined due to an injury but is now close to full fitness.
 See more photos below.

At least 29 killed in monsoon-triggered India landslide

 

 At least 29 bodies have been recovered after a massive landslide triggered by monsoon rains swept away dozens of tea estate workers in southwestern India, police said Sunday. The landslide in Idukki district, around 250 kilometres (155 miles) from Kerala state’s capital Thiruvananthapuram, occurred Friday but the ongoing search and rescue efforts have been hampered by torrential downpours.
“By yesterday evening, we had taken out 26 dead bodies. We have taken out three more today,” a district police official told AFP.

New biography about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will cause 'lasting damage' in royal family

 

 A new biography about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry has been described as "one-sided", with an insider saying it will cause "lasting damage" within the royal family. Journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand's 347-page book details private parts of the Sussexes' lives, including the couple's frustrations at life behind palace walls and fallouts within the Firm.
The tell-all book is billed as the “truth” behind their decision to quit their royal duties of the start of the year, a move that shocked fans and relatives.

Lionel Messi tops Cristiano Ronaldo in list of 10 best-paid players in world football

 
 

Lionel Messi has been named as the richest player in world football ahead of his arch rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. In the list compiled by France Football for the top 10 best-paid players in 2019, the Barcelona superstar who earns £500k per week made a staggering £120million last year, £11m more than his rival.
 Ronaldo who is on £688k per week salary at Juventus, made £109million last year.
 The duo are the only players to surpass the £100m mark on the list which was made up from their wages, bonuses, endorsements, commercial revenue, and other streams.
 PSG forward, Neymar pocketed £87m last year while Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale received £35.45m.
 See the list below...

Israel agrees to suspend annexation of West Bank in historic peace deal with UAE

 

 US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday August 13 that Israel and UAE have agreed to a historic peace agreement that will see Israel suspend it's planned annexation of the West Bank.
 According to a lengthy joint statement between the US, UAE and Israel, posted on the website of the US Embassy in Israel, the new deal will establish diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE. The agreement calls for the "full normalization of relations" between the two Middle Eastern countries and calls for Israel to "suspend" plans to annex the West Bank -- which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a temporary postponement."

Mercedes-Benz urgently recalls more than 30,000 cars over fears the sunroof may fall out and cause a crash

 

Mercedes-Benz has urgently recalled more than 30,000 cars over fears the sunroof may fall out and cause a crash. The luxury car giant recalled the C, CLK, CLS, and E Class models manufactured between 2000 and 2010 after discovering the defect this week. 
 'The durability of the bonding between the sunroof glass panel and the sliding roof frame on some vehicles might not meet specifications and the glass panel may separate from the vehicle,' the recall said.
 'If the glass panel separates from the vehicle, there is a risk of an accident resulting in injury or death of other road users.'
 The company said the 30,105 affected vehicles were sold nationally between January 3, 2000, and July 31 in 2010. They want the owners to contact their closest Mercedes-Benz retailer immediately.
 'Consumers are requested to contact their most convenient Mercedes-Benz retailer for a free of charge inspection of their sunroof, and repair, if required,' the recall said.

Madagascar herbal fails to halt Covid-19 spike in the country as hospitals struggle to cope with cases

 

 Madagascar's herbal drug 'COVID Organics (COV),' which the country's leaders said cures and prevent coronavirus has reportedly failed to halt Covid-19 spike with hospitals are now struggling to cope with a surge of Coronavirus cases.
According to BBC, cases have quadrupled in the past month in the Indian Ocean island, with more than 13,000 infections and 162 deaths from Coronavirus.
Despite the spike, President Andry Rajoelina is still promoting the concoction as a cure for Covid-19 despite the World Health Organization (WHO) warning against using untested remedies.
For the last four months, children are also being offered the 'COVID Organics (COV)' at school to boost their health.

David Beckham's club, Inter Miami confirm signing of first star player, Blaise Matuidi on free transfer

 

 Inter Miami FC, the US based football club owned by former Manchester United and England captain, David Beckham, has confirmed the free signing of it's first star player, Blaise Matuidi, after the France World cup winner was released by Juventus.
 Matuidi made 133 appearances for Juve, also winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana as well as lifting the World Cup with France in 2018.
 Matuidi, 33, will play for Inter Miami CF on August 22, and will wear the No.8 shirt, the club has confirmed.

FA Cup replays scrapped for next season

 

 FA Cup replays will be scrapped for the 2020-21 season in a bid to ease the strain on clubs during the coronavirus pandemic, the Football Association announced on Thursday. With a shortened season starting a month later than usual in September there is more pressure on an already hectic calendar.
The FA has taken the decision that all ties in the FA Cup will be decided on the day rather than allowing for the usual replay.
“In order to assist in easing pressure on the football schedule, there will be no replays for the 2020-21 season,” the FA said in a statement.