Saturday, 30 December 2017

Australia rugby star Karmichael Hunt faces drugs charge

Karmichael Hunt of Australia passing the ball during international rugby match between Australia and Italy at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. 24 June 2017
Karmichael Hunt made his Wallabies debut in June
Australian rugby union star Karmichael Hunt has been charged with possessing drugs after police arrested him in Brisbane, reports say.
Rugby Australia said it had launched an investigation into the incident.

Egypt's Morsi sentenced to three years for insulting the judiciary

Mohammed Morsi in defendant's cage during a court appearance
Mr Morsi has spent several years behind bars (file pic)
Egypt's former president has been sentenced to three years in prison for insulting the judiciary.
Mohammed Morsi already holds other jail terms including a life sentence.
He is awaiting a retrial on a separate charge of conspiring to commit terrorist acts, for which he was previously sentenced to death. The death sentence was lifted on appeal.

Cardboard tents distributed to Brussels homeless

Cardboard tent in Brussels
Many people are uncomfortable with current levels of homelessness in Western cities
A project in Brussels, Belgium is pioneering portable cardboard tents for homeless people to sleep in.
The cardboard tents, known as the ORIG-AMI project, can be transported by users on their backs as they seek shelter.

Nepal bans solo climbers from Mount Everest under new rules

Flags lie on the summit of Mount Everest. Nepal
A view from the summit of Everest, where more than 200 people have died since 1920
Nepal has banned solo climbers from scaling its mountains, including Mount Everest, in an attempt to reduce accidents.
The new safety regulations also prohibit double amputee and blind climbers from attempting to reach the summit of the world's highest peak.
A tourism official said the law had been revised to make mountaineering safer and to decrease deaths.

Iran protests: Citizens told to avoid 'illegal gatherings'

The Iranian government has told people to avoid "illegal gatherings" in the wake of two days of angry anti-establishment protests in the country.
Scores have been arrested in protests over corruption and living standards.
Some small groups have continued demonstrations in Tehran and elsewhere.
But Interior Minister Abdolrahman Rahmani Fazli urged people "not to participate in these illegal gatherings as they will create problems for themselves and other citizens".