Traffic jams formed on a highway between France and Belgium on Monday during the first of a series of protests that unions plan in EU countries against reforms affecting lorry and bus drivers.
Police said traffic backed up several kilometres (miles) for around 90 minutes Monday morning because of a protest called by a Belgian transport union near Rekkem in Belgium's west Flanders.
The union is part of the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) which opposes proposed EU reforms that could reduce rest time for truck and bus drivers.
ETF officials said there could be more protests in countries like France and the Netherlands before the European Parliament debates the reforms on Thursday.
They added unions in Italy are prepared to stage a national strike if the parliament's transport committee adopts many of the new rules.
"There was a blockage from the lorry drivers near Rekkem on the E17 toward France," the Belgian federal police's press attach? told AFP.
John Reynaert, deputy ...

Belgian-French road blocked in protest against EU transport

PTI Automatic

Billionaire Japanese tycoon and future space tourist Yusaku Maezawa said Monday his tweet promising a cash giveaway of nearly $10,000 was the most retweeted ever.
The 43-year-old Maezawa posted a tweet on Saturday promising one million yen ($9,250) in cash each to 100 randomly selected followers who had retweeted it by Monday.
The tweet -- now retweeted more than 4.3 million times -- is the most shared in history, according to the entrepreneur.
"Hit the new world record. Surpassed Twitter's world record number of retweets (it was 3.55 million RTs before) and more people are still retweeting," wrote the high-profile Maezawa.
The previous record-holder was an American teenager in 2017 trying to win a year's supply of chicken nuggets from fast food chain Wendy's, according to media.
In October, Maezawa said he paid an undisclosed sum for a ticket on fellow tycoon Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket around the moon as early as 2023.
Maezawa will hitch a ride aboard Musk's Big Falcon Rocket, which ..

Japan billionaire says 'free cash' tweet most shared of all time

Pope Francis vowed justice for victims of clerical sex abuse Monday, describing paedophilia as one of the "vilest" crimes ahead of a historic global meet on the crisis roiling the church.
"I cannot refrain from speaking of one of the plagues of our time, which sadly has also involved some members of the clergy," he said in his annual address to ambassadors to the Holy See.
"The abuse of minors is one of the vilest and most heinous crimes conceivable. Such abuse inexorably sweeps away the best of what human life holds out for innocent children, and causes irreparable and lifelong damage," he said.
Francis swore to "render justice to minors", and said a meeting of the world's bishops in February was "meant to be a further step in the church's efforts to shed full light on the facts and to alleviate the wounds caused by such crimes".
A litany of child sexual abuse scandals has rocked the Catholic church, which has 1.3 billion followers around the world.
In December the pontiff had vowed .

Pope vows justice for victims of 'vile' sex abuse

Hero MotoSports Team Rally has begun its campaign at the 41st edition of Dakar Rally with a ceremonial flag off here.
This edition of Dakar Rally marks the third year of participation for Hero MotoSports Team Rally, which consists of three riders -- India's C S Santosh, Oriol Mena and Joaquim Rodrigues.
The three riders rolled off the ceremonial podium, in front of thousands of cheering fans assembled at the beautiful seaside district of Magdalena Del Mar to give a warm send off to the participants.
The team is confident and upbeat about their prospects at the Dakar 2019, riding on the back of some strong performances, intense training sessions and a much-improved Hero 450 RR bike since the Dakar last year.
Another big positive for the team is the comeback of Rodrigues, who has undergone intensive rehabilitation after his injury at the Dakar last year.
The first stage of Dakar Rally will take the rally from Lima to Pisco for a short warm up special of 84kms.
"This Dakar, which is set .

Hero MotoSports Team Rally kick starts its third Dakar campaign

Soldiers in Gabon have appeared on state television saying they have launched a coup to "restore democracy" in the West African country.
Early Monday a soldier who identified himself as Lt. Obiang Ondo Kelly, commander of the Republican Guard, read out a statement saying the military has seized control of the government. He was flanked by two other soldiers holding weapons and all were dressed in camouflage uniforms and green berets.
A curfew has been imposed over the capital, Libreville, and the internet has been cut. The city on the Atlantic Ocean coast is being patrolled by military tanks and armed vehicles. No violence has been reported.
President Ali Bongo, in power since 2009, has been out of the country since October amid reports that he had a stroke. He recently addressed the country in a New Year's message that was filmed in Morocco, where he has been receiving medical treatment.
Oil-rich Gabon has been ruled for more than half a century by Bongo and his father, Omar, who ...

Gabon army announces coup 'to restore democracy'

The grounding of a Chinese-flagged fishing vessel in the Marshall Islands is being treated as a "crime scene", officials in the Pacific Ocean archipelago said Monday.
The 308-foot (94-metre) boat, which ran aground last week on a remote northern atoll, was not licensed to be in the country's waters.
"What they were doing in Marshall Islands' waters is still unanswered," Chief Secretary Ben Graham said, adding that the government "is treating this as a crime scene".
The boat's 24-member crew arrived in the capital Majuro on Sunday after being rescued by a government patrol boat and a Chinese fishing vessel, with the US Coast Guard providing aerial reconnaissance.
The grounded vessel, the Ou Ya Leng No 6, is a frozen fish carrier and the owner is reported to be a squid supplier to longline vessels fishing in the region.
Sam Lanwi, deputy director of the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority, said the boat was "not licensed to operate in the Marshall Islands exclusive economic ...

Marshalls treat grounded Chinese vessel as 'crime scene'

Cheteshwar Pujara's finest hour of glory in overseas conditions was complemented by Jasprit Bumrah's superb skill-set, the duo standing taller than the rest in India's maiden Test series win on Australian soil.
What made their performance more special was that they were able to overshadow even Virat Kohli, who has always stood head and shoulders above his peers in adverse conditions.
Pujara, who didn't have a lot of noteworthy performances outside the sub-continent, finished with 521 runs in four Tests, which included three hundreds with a top score of 193 and an average of 74.42.
No one deserved the 'Man of the Series' award more than the dependable No. 3 from Saurashtra, whose dogged hundreds at Adelaide and Melbourne made it easy for the likes of Bumrah (21 wickets) and Mohammed Shami (16 wickets) to press home the advantage against a below-par Australian batting line-up.
Such has been Pujara's dominance, that skipper Kohli's aggregate of 282 runs paled in comparison.
However, if a 

Pujara, Bumrah performance headline India's epic triumph

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been criticised by the Chief Minister of Sindh province for travelling around the world to "beg" for financial support for the cash-strapped country which is currently battling serious economic crisis.
Pakistan is seeking USD 8 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to bail itself out from a severe balance-of-payments crisis that threatens to cripple the country's economy.
"Imran Khan is going from country to country to beg (for financial aid)," Sindh province Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said at a rally in Matli, Badin on Sunday.
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader also claimed that those without any experience in politics were given a seat in the government, Samaa TV reported.
On January 5, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) finalised a USD 6.2 billion support package to help Pakistan address its balance of payments challenge.
The package involved USD 3.2 billion worth of oil supplies on deferred payment, besides a USD 3 ...

Pak PM 'begging' for funds worldwide: Sindh CM

China lodged a "stern" diplomatic protest with the US on Monday after its guided-missile destroyer sailed near disputed islands in the South China Sea, asserting that America should stop such "provocative" action and create an enabling environment for successful negotiations on the ongoing trade dispute.
The US guided-missile destroyer McCampbell sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea as officials of both the countries kicked off their first face-to-face talks here to resolve the trade dispute during which the world's top two economies have imposed import duties on more than USD 300 billion of each other's goods.
US Pacific Fleet spokeswoman Rachel McMarr said US vessel carried out a freedom of navigation operation, sailing within 12 nautical miles of the Paracel Island chain, "to challenge excessive maritime claims".
China claims almost all of the South China Sea and has constructed military installations in artificial islands built by it. Vietnam, the ...

China lodges 'stern' protest over US warship sailing through SCS

A compound extracted from the Christmas berry primrose plant may help stop the growth a rare and aggressive eye cancer, a study claims.
In half of cases, uveal melanoma (UM) metastasises to the liver. For these patients treatment options are scarce, according to the study published in the journal Molecular Cancer Research.
"I'm very optimistic," said Jeffrey Benovic, a professor at the Thomas Jefferson University in the US.
"If the results are confirmed in animal models and eventually humans, it could offer a new way to treat metastatic uveal melanoma patients down the road," Benovic said.
UM is the most common eye cancer in adults. The cancer forms in melanocytes, the cells that make skin and hair pigment.
Although the condition differs from melanoma of the skin, both cancers are lethal, researchers said.
UM accounts for about five per cent of all melanoma cases. Surgery or radiation is the go-to treatment for patients with primary UM that has not spread to other parts of the ...

'Christmas berry' plant compound may fight eye cancer: Study

A top Sri Lankan court Monday dismissed a petition seeking mental health assessment of President Maithripala Sirisena for his sacking of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister, a controversial decision which plunged the country into an unprecedented political crisis.
On October 26, President Sirisena, 67, sacked Wickeremesinghe as Prime Minister and replaced him with ex-strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa, triggering the never-seen-before political and constitutional impasse which lasted for over two months.
The Court of Appeal dismissed with costs the petition filed by a woman named Thakshila Lakmali Jayawardena, saying it had no authority to hear the case.
Jayawardena sought an order directing the police chief to go into Sirisena's state of mind. The petition called for a medical report on the President's mental status.
The court ordered Jayawardena to pay Rs 100,000 as legal costs.
Jayawardena's Attorney said after filing the case that President's unusual action warranted a medical check ..

Lanka court dismisses plea to check Sirisena's mental health

The 2019 Golden Globes delivered stinging snubs to award hopefuls "Black Panther", Bradley Cooper's directorial debut "A Star is Born" and Lee's "BlacKkKlansman", denting their prospects at the award season.
Golden Globes mark the beginning of award season in Hollywood which culminates with the Academy Awards in late February.
"BlacKkKlansman", which had secured four nominations, including the Best Motion Picture  Drama and  Best Director for Lee, went home empty handed.
Rami Malek's spirited portrayal as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody" well deservingly fetched the actor the Best Actor  Drama trophy but it edged out Cooper's performance as a broken musician in "A Star Is Born".
The film bagging the Best Drama award was also a surprise for many as it bested front-runners "A Star Is Born", Barry Jenkins' "If Beale Street Could Talk" and Marvel's "Black Panther" to established itself as one of the award season favourites.
"Crazy Rich Asians", considered ground ...

Golden Globes: 'A Star is Born', 'BlacKkKlansman' snubbed; 'Bohemian Rhapsody' surprise winner

Researchers have identified cells in the human body that can take over functions of damaged or missing insulin-producing cells, an advance that may lead to new treatments for diabetes.
Diabetes is caused by damaged or non-existing insulin cells' inability to produce insulin, a hormone that is necessary in regulating blood sugar levels.
Many diabetes patients take insulin supplements to regulate these levels, said researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway.
They discovered that glucagon producing cells in the pancreas can change identity and adapt so that they do the job for their neighbouring damaged or missing insulin cells.
"We are possibly facing the start of a totally new form of treatment for diabetes, where the body can produce its own insulin, with some start-up help," said Luiza Ghila from the University of Bergen.
The researchers discovered that only about two per cent of the neighbouring cells in the pancreas could change identity.
However, even that amount makes ...

Our body may cure itself of diabetes in future: Study

A Thai court Monday rejected an attempt to block the deportation of a Saudi woman who made a desperate plea for asylum, saying she feared for her life after escaping an abusive family.
Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun told AFP she ran away from her family while travelling in Kuwait because they subjected her to physical and psychological abuse.
The 18-year-old said she had planned to travel to Australia and seek asylum there, and feared she would be killed if she was repatriated by Thai immigration officials who stopped her during transit on Sunday.
The incident comes against the backdrop of intense scrutiny of Saudi Arabia over its investigation and handling of the shocking murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, which has renewed criticism of the kingdom's rights record.
Human rights lawyer Nadthasiri Bergman filed an injunction to block her deportation but it was rejected by Bangkok's criminal court.
"They dismissed the request," she told AFP. "They said we do not have enough ...

Thai court rejects bid to block deportation of Saudi woman

The Kurdish-led force battling the remnants of the Islamic State group in eastern Syria said Monday it captured five foreign jihadists, including two US citizens.
The two Americans, two Pakistanis and an Irishman were part of a cell planning an attack on civilians fleeing the jihadist group's last bastion, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said.
The SDF has spearheaded the battle against IS in eastern Syria and is close to flushing out the jihadists from their last pocket near the Iraqi border.
The force, which receives key support in the air and on the ground from the US military, said in a statement that the jihadists were captured on December 30.
The SDF said its forces detected "a group of terrorists who had been preparing to attack the civilians who were trying to get out of the war zone".
"An operation against the cell was carried out by our forces," it said.
It published mugshots of the five foreign fighters and provided the following names: - Warren Christopher Clark, USA - ..

Two Americans among foreign jihadists captured by Syrian Kurds

Malaysia's royals prepared Monday to pick a new king to replace Sultan Muhammad V, who abdicated in a historic first after reportedly marrying a Russian former beauty queen, holding a special gathering at the national palace.
The king stepped aside Sunday following intense speculation about his future after reports surfaced in recent weeks that he had taken medical leave, and then wed the former Miss Moscow.
As the country reacted with shock to the news, Malaysia's Islamic royal families set about the task of electing a new king to replace Muhammad V, 49, who gave up the throne just two years into his term.
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, with a unique arrangement where the throne changes hands every five years between rulers of the country's nine states headed by centuries-old Islamic royalty.
The royal households take it in turn to provide the country's king, and it is usually known before the formal election who will become the monarch.
While their role is ceremonial, ...

Malaysian royals prepare to pick king after historic abdication

A US Navy guided-missile destroyer on Monday sailed near disputed islands in the South China Sea where Beijing has built military installations, as trade talks between the two countries kicked off.
The US and its allies periodically send planes and warships through the area, which is claimed by China, to signal to Beijing their right under international law to pass through the waters.
The USS McCampbell sailed within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) of the Paracel Islands "to challenge excessive maritime claims," US Pacific Fleet spokeswoman Rachel McMarr told AFP.
She added that so-called "freedom of navigation" operations are "not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements."
The sail-by came as Chinese and US officials kicked off talks in Beijing to find a solution to a bitter trade war that last year saw the two sides impose tariffs on more than USD 300 billion in total two-way trade.
"All operations... demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail ..

US conducts latest South China Sea sail-by amid trade talks

Cancer patients may be at a significantly increased risk of suicide in the first year following diagnosis, a study has found.
The research, published in the journal Cancer,points to the importance of screening for suicide risk in newly diagnosed patients and ensuring that patients have access to social and emotional support.
To estimate the risk of suicide within the year after a cancer diagnosis, researchers from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the US examined information on cancer patients in a US database between 2000 and 2014.
"This is the largest study to assess recent trends in suicide risk after a cancer diagnosis in the US population," said Anas Saad, of Ain Shams University in Egypt.
Among the 4,671,989 patients in the analysis, 1,585 committed suicide within one year of their diagnosis. There was a two and a half times higher risk than what would be expected in the general population.
"Awareness among providers to screen for suicide risk and refer to 

Cancer diagnosis may up suicide risk in patients: Study

Australian captain Tim Paine Monday conceded that the current Indian bowling attack was the best in the world and their relentless pressure on his side's batsmen was a key factor in the visiting team's maiden Test series win on Australian soil.
"This (Indian) attack was seriously good, I don't think in Australia we have given them enough credit for how relentless they are. The three quicks bowled pretty good pace, they are relentless in pressure," Paine said after the fourth and final Test at the SCG ended in a draw for India to clinch the series 2-1.
"So, it was hard work batting against their attack for seasoned Test players. For Marcus (Harris) and Travis (Head) to show they have got the game to make runs against the best attack in the world is a real positive," he said, while talking about his batsmen who had performed reasonably.
India won the first and third Tests in Adelaide and Melbourne while Australia emerged victorious in the second match in Perth. The fourth Test ended in .

This Indian bowling attack is best in the world: Paine

India captain Virat Kohli Monday said he is on the lookout for three more pacers as relentless as the current crop to manage the workload of the attack that played a crucial role in the team's maiden Test series triumph in Australia.
The attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma has been hailed as India's best ever. Not only in Australia, the fast bowlers had done their job even in England and South Africa but batsmen let them down in the two preceding tours.
"It's important to take care of these guys especially  manage workloads, that's going to be our priority going forward. But even more so, finding three more guys who can bowl as fast as and as relentless as these guys," said Kohli in his post-match interaction on Monday.
"We already are in the process of identifying (three pacers), and then keep them ready  make them travel with the team, make them understand the importance of Test cricket, what areas to bowl, what the ...

Kohli looks ahead, says three more pacers needed to manage workload

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday ordered the government to remove the names of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Shah from the exit control list and the report of the joint investigation team probing the fake bank accounts case.
Hearing the case, over the delay into the 2015 probe, the apex court ordered that the case be forwarded to the anti-corruption watchdog - National Accountability Bureau (NAB), according to a media report.
It also directed the NAB to wrap up its probe within two months.
A person cannot fly abroad if his name is placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).
The JIT last month submitted its report to the top court in which it named both Bilawal and Shah, apart from former president Asif Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, former president of Summit Bank Hussain Lawai and Omni Group's Anwar Majeed for laundering around Rs 22000 crore through fictitious bank accounts.
Hundreds of 'benami' accounts at some private banks were opened in ...

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