Washington, United States: The Covid-19 pandemic caused a sharp slowdown in the fight to end child poverty, with 333 million children still living in extreme poverty, according to a report published Wednesday. The report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank found that the pandemic led to the abolition of extreme poverty for 30 million fewer children than was previously predicted. As a result, around one in six children still live on less than $2.15 per day, according to the report. “Compounding crises, from the impacts of COVID-19, conflict, climate change a ..read more

Tikht, Morocco: Rescuers on Monday faced a growing race against time to dig any survivors from the rubble of devastated villages in Morocco’s Atlas mountains, three days after the country’s strongest-ever earthquake. The 6.8-magnitude quake that struck late Friday southwest of the city of Marrakesh has claimed more than 2,100 lives and injured over 2,400, many seriously, according to official figures updated late on Sunday. Rabat on Sunday announced it had accepted aid offers from four foreign nations, while many other countries have also said they were willing to send assistance. Authori ..read more

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Malaysia on Wednesday lifted a ban on live cattle and buffalo imports from Australia, which had been imposed after Indonesia said it had detected lumpy skin disease (LSD) in livestock from the country, authorities said. LSD is an infectious viral disease that causes a reduction in milk production, temporary or permanent sterility, and sometimes death of cattle but poses no risk to humans. Malaysia imposed the temporary suspension early last month as a precaution. “The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) has withdrawn its order to suspend the import of live catt ..read more

Lahore, Pakistan: Allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto smashed centuries before Bangladesh’s pace bowlers shared eight wickets to beat Afghanistan by 89 runs in the Asia Cup in Lahore on Sunday. Miraz hit a 119-ball 112 for his highest ODI score while Shanto scored a 105-ball 104 to help Bangladesh to 334-5 before they bowled out Afghanistan for 245 in 44.3 overs. Taskin Ahmed (4-44), Shoriful Islam (3-36) and Hasan Mahmud (1-61) took wickets at regular intervals to keep Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the Super Four stage alive. Afghanistan will now play title holders S ..read more

Colombo, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka’s police force said Friday it had sacked an officer who entertained protesters with an impromptu piano performance after they stormed the island nation’s presidential compound last year. Constable R. M. D. Dayaratne was deployed to help protect the colonial-era residence on the day it was taken over by protesters who forced then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country. Instead, he sat at a grand piano in the compound and played a song to the crowd streaming through its rooms. “Dayaratne was on social media playing the piano while the building was bei ..read more

New York, United States: Didn’t score tickets for Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour? Never fear — the culturally defining juggernaut will hit movie theaters with a concert film released on October 13. “The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon,” Swift said on social media Thursday. “Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged.” The giant AMC movie chain is vowing that each of its theaters across the United States will play the film at least four times a day on T ..read more

Johannesburg, South Africa: A fire that engulfed a five-storey building taken over for illegal housing killed more than 70 people including children in central Johannesburg on Thursday, the South African city’s emergency services said. Another 52 were injured in what is on track to become one of the deadliest fires worldwide in recent years. Bodies were discovered piled up at a security gate that was closed preventing people escaping the blaze, an official said. City authorities said the building in a deprived crime-ridden area had been turned into illegal housing after being abandoned. M ..read more

Kandy, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka said on Wednesday the defending champions will challenge every team in the Asia Cup despite injuries to several key players. Sri Lanka, co-hosting the tournament with Pakistan, face Bangladesh on Thursday after injuries forced them to drop two key players at the last minute. They won the tournament in the T20 format last year but it reverts to the ODI format as a prelude to the 50-over World Cup in India, which starts on October 5. “We are playing in our backyard, so have the home advantage,” Shanaka told reporters in Pallekele. “There are ..read more

Washington, United States: Eleven airline passengers and crew were hospitalized Tuesday following severe turbulence on a Delta flight from Milan to Atlanta, the US-based airline said. “Delta Care Team members are mobilizing to connect with customers on Delta Flight 175 that experienced severe turbulence before landing safely in Atlanta Tuesday,” a spokesman said. “Our priority is taking care of our customers and crew who sustained injuries.” It is unclear how many total people out of the 151 passengers and 14-member crew were injured beyond the 11 taken to hospital, or what the extent of ..read more

New Delhi, India: At least nine people were killed Saturday after a train coach parked in southern India caught fire when a passenger tried to make tea, officials said. The coach, which had been detached from a train, was stationed at the Madurai railway yard in the southern state of Tamil Nadu when the fire broke out before dawn. “It was a single, stationary coach booked by a private tourist operator. Somebody tried to make tea and it caused the fire,” Madurai district spokesman Sali Thalapathi told AFP. “Nine people have died, three of them are women. Nine others are injured but their i ..read more