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Going once, going twice... Pakistan lions up for auction

A Pakistan zoo is auctioning off a dozen lions to private collectors next week to free up space for a pride that won't stop growing.. "I will try to buy two to three lions for sure," he told AFP, adding the auction was a good way to diversify the gene pool for private collectors who already owned a big cat.

China to press on with drills around Taiwan as US relations nosedive

China has doubled down on its retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, announcing a suspension of cooperation with Washington on key issues as it was set Saturday to continue massive military exercises in the Strait.. The suspension Friday of bilateral military and maritime dialogue while China continues its military exercises was "particularly worrisome,” she said. 

Kyiv, Moscow trade blame over nuclear plant

Kyiv and Moscow accused each other of striking Europe's largest nuclear site on Friday, causing a reactor stoppage as three grain ships departed Ukraine under a deal to avert food shortages.. Kyiv said another three ships loaded with grain set sail from Ukraine on Friday, heading for Turkey and markets in Ireland and Britain.

Elon Musk accuses Twitter of fraud in buyout deal: court filing

Elon Musk has accused Twitter of fraud, alleging the social media platform misled him about key aspects of its business before he agreed to a $44 billion buyout, as their court battle heats up.. The social media platform has urged shareholders to endorse the deal, setting a vote on the merger for September 13.

China scraps cooperation with US over Taiwan spat

China said Friday it was ending cooperation with the United States on a litany of key issues including climate change, anti-drug efforts and military talks, as relations between the two superpowers nosedive over the island of Taiwan.. And Friday saw its foreign ministry hit back further against the United States, suspending talks and cooperation on multiple agreements between the two -- including on fighting climate change.

Hindu nationalists push boycott of Bollywood 'Forrest Gump' remake

According to Forrest Gump, life is like a box of chocolates because "you never know what you're going to get".. The furore over his new film -- which adapts Hanks' famous line to say that "life is like a golgappa", an Indian snack -- is such that this week Khan stressed his patriotism, a key tenet of the Modi government.

India hikes interest rates to pre-pandemic level

India's central bank on Friday hiked interest rates for the third time in four months, as Asia's third-largest economy contends with a widening trade deficit and weakening currency.. India's benchmark Sensex index erased early losses to trade 0.56 percent higher on Friday following the interest rate decision. ng/grk/cwl

China to hold fresh drills around Taiwan despite US condemnation

China was set to press ahead Friday with its largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan despite firm statements of condemnation by the United States, Japan and the European Union.. - 'Temperature's pretty high' - China has defended the drills as just countermeasures in the face of provocations by the United States and its allies in Taiwan, which China views as its own territory and which it has vowed to retake.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay $4.1 mn in Sandy Hook damages

A Texas jury on Thursday ordered far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay more than $4 million in damages to the parents of a child who was killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. . The jury deliberated for one day before deciding on the amount of compensatory damages Jones should pay for falsely claiming that the Sandy Hook shooting was a "hoax."

South Korea launches first lunar orbiter

South Korea's first-ever lunar orbiter was launched from the US Thursday on a year-long mission to observe the Moon, live video showed, with a payload including a new disruption-tolerant network for sending data from space.. One of the instruments will evaluate disruption-tolerant, network-based space communications, which, according to South Korea's science ministry, is a world first.