More than 2,000 people, including many children, have fallen ill after toxic waste was dumped in a Malaysian river and emitted hazardous fumes over a wide area, an official said Friday.
About 200 schools and nurseries have been closed in the affected area in southern Johor state after a lorry dumped the waste last week.
People who inhaled the fumes suffered from nausea and vomiting, and a handful were left in critical condition.
The number of those needing medical treatment has been slowly rising since the crisis began and on Friday the figure stood at 2,355, including 113 still in hospital, local lawmaker Sahruddin Jamal told AFP.
No one has died.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad visited victims in hospital on Thursday and praised the response of emergency workers.
"They have done their job well even though such a case has never occurred (here)," he said, according to official news agency Bernama.
The military has been deployed along with hazardous waste experts, wearing protective ...

Over 2,000 fall ill in Malaysia after toxic waste dumped

PTI Automatic

Weekly protests along the Gaza-Israel border were called off Friday after a military escalation between the Jewish state and Palestinian militants in the territory, organisers announced.
"In keeping with the public interest, the commission has decided to exceptionally postpone its activities scheduled for this day," the body which organises the protests said in a statement.
Protests will resume in the coming weeks, with particular preparation for the one-year anniversary of their beginning on March 30, it said.
The cancellation, the first of its kind in a year, came after Israel said its aircraft struck dozens of Hamas targets in Gaza overnight in response to rockets fired from the enclave, including at Tel Aviv.
An official from the organising committee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the protests were delayed "to protect our people due to the escalation and the Israeli aggression."
The often violent protests are demanding Palestinian refugees and their descendants be ...

Gaza border protests called off after Israel air raids: organisers

Tens of thousands of young people across Asia skipped school Friday to march through the streets, kicking off a global day of student protests aiming to spark world leaders into action on climate change.
Classrooms in capitals from Lagos to London were expected to be empty, as the ambitious organisers of the global student strike hoped to stage 1,000 demos in more than 100 countries.
Students flooded into the streets in Wellington, Sydney, Bangkok and Hong Kong carrying placards that read "There is no planet B", "You're destroying our future" and "If you don't act like adults, we will."
In Delhi, one of the world's most polluted cities, around 200 students took part in a colourful protest, waving ribbons, juggling and performing stunts with hoops.
In Sydney, 18-year-old Charles Rickwood, warned that if nothing is done, Australia's famous Great Barrier Reef could be destroyed.
"Especially if current trends in the environment continue, we'll see the one, two degrees increase in our ...

'No Planet B': Global youth demo for climate kicks off

An investigation has begun in Paris into the cause of the  crash of a Boeing jet which left 157 dead, Ethiopian Airlines said Friday.
"The Ethiopian delegation led by the chief investigator of (the) Accident Investigation Bureau has arrived in the French Safety Investigation (BEA) facilities and the investigation process has started in Paris," the airline wrote on Twitter.
The two black boxes from the plane that went down Sunday were brought to Paris on Thursday.

Plane crash probe has begun in Paris: Ethiopian Airlines

Airbus on Friday began trials of drones delivering parcels to ships anchored offshore in Singapore, as the high-tech city rolls out the devices for an array of tasks.
Singapore is aiming to use drones for parcel delivery, inspecting buildings, providing security and other jobs, and is working with companies and regulators to put the ambitious plan into action.
European aerospace giant Airbus said it completed the world's first shore-to-ship package delivery using a drone. It involved the device carrying a 1.5 kilogramme parcel to a vessel anchored 1.5 kilometres from the coast.
The drone took off from a pier and landed safely on the ship's deck, deposited its cargo and returned to base, with the entire flight completed within 10 minutes, Airbus said in a statement.
Airbus has partnered with maritime logistics and port services firm Wilhelmsen Ships Services for the trials.
The drones involved can carry up to four kilos of cargo and navigate autonomously along a pre-determined flight ..

Airbus trials drone delivery to ships

Attacks on two Christchurch mosques left at least 49 dead Friday, with one gunman -- identified as an Australian extremist -- apparently livestreaming the assault that triggered the lockdown of the New Zealand city.
In what appeared to be the worst attack against Muslims in a western country, witnesses spoke of victims being shot at close range, with women and children believed to be among those killed.
"It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack," said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, saying it marked "one of New Zealand's darkest days".
"From what we know, it does appear to have been well planned," she said, adding that in addition to the dead another 20 people were seriously injured.
The gunman at one mosque was an Australian-born citizen, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in Sydney, describing him as "an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist".
It was not immediately clear how many attackers were involved, but Ardern said three men had been ..

49 dead in New Zealand mosque shootings

Tokyo Olympic organisers on Friday rolled out a pair of chatty robots they will put to work to assist wheelchair users at the 2020 Games as they continue to plug Japan's cutting-edge technology.
Billed as distant relations to beeping Star Wars drone R2D2, Toyota unveiled its human support (HSR) and delivery support robots (DSR), which are set to act as seat ushers and will fetch food and drinks for disabled fans at next year's Olympics.
In an Olympic first, the waist-high, robotic "volunteers" will breezily introduce themselves to customers, who can then place orders on a tablet.
"Hello, everyone. I'm a lifestyle support robot," the fully rotating HSR said in a demonstration.
"I'll fetch things for you. I also have an extendable arm that can pick things up if you drop them," it added.
In reality, the DSR "deli-bot" -- with its built-in drinks tray -- rather more closely resembles a moving dustbin with blinking lights, but Toyota insisted the technology would ensure a more comfortable .

Short circuit: Tokyo unveils chatty 'robot-eers' for 2020 Olympics

An Indonesian man has been arrested for trying to smuggle 2,000 endangered pig-nosed turtles, police said, marking the latest wildlife-trafficking arrest as the Southeast Asian nation battles the vast trade.
Authorities in Papua province said they seized 2,227 of the palm-sized turtles which were stuffed into boxes on a boat docked in the remote town of Agats.
"Officers saw a port worker carrying three big boxes and got suspicious," Papua police spokesman Ahmad Musthofa Kamal said late Thursday.
"This is protected species and they are not for sale." Following the discovery, police arrested another man believed to be involved in the trafficking bid. The port worker was not detained.
If convicted, the arrested man could face up to five years in prison and a 100 million rupiah ($7,000) fine, police said.
It was not clear where the turtle shipment was headed.
The pig-nosed turtle -- which has a distinctive snout-like nose and webbed feet -- is only found in Australia and New Guinea, an ...

Smuggler arrested in Indonesia with over 2,000 endangered turtles

Eight years of war in Syria have left more than 370,000 people dead including 112,000 civilians, a monitor said Friday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of sources across the country, said more than 21,000 children and 13,000 women were among the dead.
The conflict flared after unprecedented anti-government protests in the southern city of Daraa on March 15, 2011.
Demonstrations spread across Syria and were violently suppressed by the regime, triggering a multi-front armed conflict that has drawn in foreign powers.

Syria death toll tops 370,000 in 8 years of war: monitor

Forty people were killed and 20 more were seriously injured in armed assaults on two Christchurch mosques Friday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
"It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack," she said. "From what we know, it does appear to have been well planned."
"Two explosive devices attached to suspect vehicles have now been found and they have been disarmed," she added.

40 dead, 20 badly hurt in NZ mosque attacks: PM

The gunman who killed numerous worshippers in a New Zealand mosque on Friday was a right-wing "terrorist" with Australian citizenship, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
"We stand here and condemn, absolutely the attack that occurred today by an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist," Morrison told a press conference.
He confirmed media reports that the gunman who mowed down worshippers in the main mosque in the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch was an Australian-born citizen.
He said Australian security authorities were investigating any links between the country and the attack, but declined to provide further details about the Australian gunman.
An emotional Morrison offered his sympathies to Kiwis.
"We are not just allies, we are not just partners, we are family," he said. New Zealand police said they had detained three men and one woman after attacks on two Christchurch mosques, but they have not provided their identities.
"It is such a sad and devastating reminder of .

NZ mosque gunman was Australian right-wing 'terrorist': Australia PM

An Australian extremist killed multiple Muslim worshippers during Friday prayers, authorities said, in an apparently livestreamed attack that forced the New Zealand city of Christchurch into lockdown.
Police said two mosques were targeted in the attack that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said marked "one of New Zealand's darkest days".
Witnesses spoke of victims being shot at close range, with women and children also believed to be among those killed.
The gunman at one mosque was an Australian-born citizen, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in Sydney, describing him as "an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist".
It was not immediately clear how many attackers were involved, but New Zealand police said that four people - three men and a woman - were taken into custody.
Commissioner Mike Bush said there were "significant" and "multiple" fatalities. A number of IEDS (improved explosive devices) were also found and neutralised by the military.
A Palestinian man who was in ...

'Multiple fatalities' in New Zealand mosque shootings

Israel said Friday its aircraft hit around 100 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip overnight in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, including toward its economic capital Tel Aviv.
"Fighter planes, attack helicopters and (other) IDF aircraft attacked overnight about 100 terror targets of the Hamas terror organisation in the Gaza Strip," Israel's military said in a statement.
It said targets included an office complex allegedly used by Hamas to coordinate militant operations in the occupied West Bank.
Another was a "the main manufacturing site of standard-grade rockets in the Gaza Strip," an underground location, it said.
A security source in Gaza said dozens of strikes targeted bases belonging to both Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad throughout Gaza.
More than 40 locations were targeted with about 100 strikes, the source said.
A couple was injured when their house was damaged in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the source.
Residents reported a number of ...

Israel says hits 100 Hamas targets in Gaza in reprisal attack

A Vietnamese woman accused of murdering the North Korean leader's half-brother was given a mental health check-up Friday, a day after she lost a release bid and broke down in a Malaysian court, her lawyer said.
Doan Thi Huong is on trial for the 2017 Kuala Lumpur airport assassination of Kim Jong Nam. Her Indonesian co-accused was released this week after prosecutors dropped a murder charge, but authorities Thursday refused to do the same for Huong.
The 30-year-old was brought from prison to a Kuala Lumpur hospital in a van accompanied by several police cars and heavily armed officers wearing balaclavas, according to one of the officers escorting her. She left after about an hour.
"Our client Doan is stressed, she has been taken to a public hospital. She is undergoing a psychiatric assessment," her lawyer Hisyam Poh Teh Peik told AFP.
"Let us all pray for her health and immediate freedom." On Thursday the suspect sobbed in the dock and had to be helped out of court by two police ...

Vietnam suspect gets mental health check after losing release bid

The gunman who killed numerous worshippers in a New Zealand mosque on Friday was a right-wing extremist with Australian citizenship, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
Morrison said the shooting in Christchurch was carried out by "an extremist, right-wing, violent terrorist" who was an Australian-born citizen.
He declined to provide further details, saying the investigation was being led by New Zealand authorities.

'Terrorist' in NZ mosque attack Australian: Australia PM

Tesla introduced a new electric sports utility vehicle slightly bigger and more expensive than its Model 3, pitched as an electric car for the masses.
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk showed off the "Model Y" late Thursday at the company's design studio in the southern California city of Hawthorne, and the company began taking orders online.
The all-electric Model Y has a starting price of $39,000 for a version with a 230-mile (370-kilometer) range. A long-range version of the SUV capable of traveling 300 miles (483 kilometers) on a single charge was priced at USD 47,000.
Deliveries were expected to begin late next year for higher-priced Model Y vehicles, with the standard-range version would likely get to buyers by spring of 2021, according to Tesla.
Musk said the Model Y has "the functionality of an SUV but it will ride like a sports car" accelerating from stand-still to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.  Model Y featured a "panoramic glass roof" and could seat seven people, according to ...

Elon Musk's Tesla adds 'Model Y' SUV to line-up

New Zealand police warned against sharing footage relating to a deadly shooting in Christchurch Friday, after a video online showed a gunman filming himself firing at worshippers inside a mosque.
"Police are aware there is extremely distressing footage relating to the incident in Christchurch circulating online," New Zealand police said in a Twitter post.
"We would strongly urge that the link not be shared. We are working to have any footage removed." AFP analysed a copy of a Facebook Live video that shows a clean-shaven, Caucasian man with short hair driving to a mosque, then shooting as he enters the building.
The gunman continues to shoot at people inside the mosque, some of whom were trying to flee while others were huddled in corners of the building, according to the copy of the video that AFP found on YouTube.
AFP confirmed the video was genuine through a digital investigation that included matching screenshots of the mosque taken from the gunman's footage with multiple images ..

NZealand police warn of 'distressing' mosque shooting footage

Tearful rugby star Sonny Bill Williams said he hoped the victims of the Christchurch mosque massacre were in "paradise" in an emotional video tribute on Friday.
The devout Muslim, wearing a skull cap, wiped away tears several times in the brief footage which he filmed sitting in a car.
Police reported multiple deaths in attacks on two crowded mosques during Friday prayers in Christchurch, where Williams played for the Crusaders earlier in his career.
"Just heard the news. I couldn't put it into words how I'm feeling right now," the World Cup-winning All Blacks centre said in the video posted on Twitter.
"Inshallah (God willing) everyone who's been killed today... you guys are all in paradise," he added.
"Just deeply, deeply saddened that this would happen in New Zealand.

'Inshallah you're in paradise' - Sonny Bill in tearful attacks tribute

Paris Saint-Germain outcast Adrien Rabiot has been suspended until the end of the month for a reported outing to a nightclub after last week's Champions League loss to Manchester United.
The French international midfielder is in open dispute with PSG and has not played since mid-December after failing to agree a new contract.
According to French sports newspaper L'Equipe, Rabiot was punished for a nightclub visit after PSG were knocked out of the Champions League by United.
But also for 'liking' a video posted on social media by former Man United player Patrice Evra celebrating the win in the stands at the Parc des Princes.
"Adrien Rabiot has received a letter suspending him," a source told AFP.
"I find unacceptable the attitude and lack of professionalism of a player like Adrien Rabiot towards the club, his teammates and the fans," PSG sporting director Antero Henrique said on RMC Sport, referring to the night out.
"Remember up to June 30, 2019 he is part of our squad." Rabiot told ..

PSG outcast Rabiot suspended over night out

New Zealand police said they have detained four people in connection with deadly shootings at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday and had secured a number of improvised explosive devices.
"Four are in custody, three of them are men and one is a woman," commissioner Mike Bush said, saying there were "significant" and "multiple" fatalities.
He said the suspected IEDs found attached to the attackers' vehicles had been made safe by the military.

New Zealand police says four in custody, IEDs found

Mauro Icardi's ongoing contract dispute with Inter Milan shows no sign of abating as the Italian team crashed out of the Europa League in his absence on Thursday before this weekend's key derby showdown against city rival's AC Milan at the San Siro.
Both sides are battling for Champions League football next season with Gennaro Gattuso's AC Milan in third, one point ahead of Inter, who occupy the final elite European qualifying spot.
Icardi's dramatic injury-time winner snatched a 1-0 win for Inter Milan in the reverse fixture last October.
But the Argentine -- joint top scorer in Serie A last season with 29 goals -- has not played since February 9 amid a contract dispute which resulted in him being stripped of the captain's armband.
The 26-year-old, who has scored 15 goals for the club this season, has complained of a knee injury but the club say a scan has not revealed any new injury.
In his absence Inter have won two of four league games, and crashed out of the Europa League on ...

AFP

AFP

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