Latest news with #AgenceFrancePresse
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
A Tourist Damaged Two Terracotta Warriors at China's Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang
A 30-year-old Chinese tourist damaged two ancient clay warriors from China's terracotta army, local officials said on Saturday, according to Agence France Presse. According to the statement, the tourist was visiting the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in Xi'an, a city in western China that was the capital during several ancient dynasties, when he 'climbed over the guardrail and the protective net and jumped' more than 15 feet into Pit No. 3 on Friday. More from Robb Report Inside a $20 Million L.A. Home Designed by Pritzker Prize-Winning Architect Oscar Niemeyer Mount Gay Just Dropped a Fantastic New Rum Aged Entirely in Cognac Casks Chevy's C8 Corvette ZR1 Supercar Is Even Faster Than It Expected The man then 'pushed and pulled' the clay warriors, leading to 'varying degrees' of damage, before he was restrained by security, according to the statement. Video footage was captured just moments after the incident, with the suspect lying on the ground among the collapsed warriors. Authorities said they believe the man suffers from metal illness, though the case is still currently under investigation. Following the event, the display reportedly reopened on Saturday. This is hardly the first controversy surrounding the famous statues. In 2023, a man accepted a plea deal after stealing a thumb from one of the terracotta warriors, many of which were on display at the Franklin Museum in Philadelphia at the time of the theft in 2017. The Terracotta Army was created to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife around 209 BCE. It is the only known collection of military sculptures produced en masse in the world. As the country's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang unified China with an army of more than 500,000 men. To construct the Terracotta Army and mausoleum, researchers believe it took 700,000 laborers a span of 30 to 40 years to complete. Since the army was first discovered by local farmers in 1974, achaeologists have found roughly 8,000 statues from the army, all of them constructed using exact measurements per their military ranks, with generals being taller than soldiers, standing at an average height of 5 feet 8 inches. The mausoleum has been an UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987. In 2022, with excavations still ongoing, 20 warriors were newly found near the Chinese emperor's secret tomb and added to the count. Best of Robb Report The 10 Priciest Neighborhoods in America (And How They Got to Be That Way) In Pictures: Most Expensive Properties Click here to read the full article.
Nahar Net
2 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Zelensky arrives in Vilnius for summit with several NATO leaders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived Monday in Vilnius for a summit with the leaders of NATO's eastern and Nordic members, some of Kyiv's staunchest backers amid the Russian invasion. Zelensky's spokesman said he would hold "bilateral meetings" on the sidelines of the summit in the Lithuanian capital, which will also be attended by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Source: Agence France Presse Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Write a funny caption for this large gathering of Smurfs
A small town in western France – called Landerneau – set a world record by gathering more than 3,000 people dressed as Smurfs. These blue characters are from a popular Belgian comic franchise. In May, this town successfully beat a previous record by bringing together 3,076 people in blue costumes and white hats. Agence France-Presse If a passer-by saw these Smurfs, what would they think? Send us a funny caption by filling out this form. The deadline is at 12pm on June 4. We'll publish the best ones next week. Last week's top caption Beauval Zoo in France is the first zoo outside Asia to host golden snub-nosed monkeys. Photo: AFP Zoe Jing Ying-kwan (aged 9), Hong Kong International School: What's everyone staring at? Oh! It's my magnificent hair!
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine launches major drone attack on Russian bombers, security official says
Ukraine has launched a 'large-scale' drone attack against Russian military bombers in Siberia, striking more than 40 warplanes thousands of kilometres from its own territory, a security official said. The claims could not be independently verified. But if confirmed, the attacks would mark Ukraine's most damaging drone strike of the war to date, amid an escalation in cross-border incursions before planned peace talks in Istanbul on Monday. 'Ukrainian security services are carrying out a large-scale special operation aimed at destroying enemy bombers far from the front, in Russia,' the official was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying, adding a fire had broken out at the targeted Belaya airbase. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strikes were conducted by Ukraine's SBU domestic intelligence agency, and had simultaneously struck four Russian military airbases. Among the more than 40 aircraft reportedly hit were Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers, which Russia uses to fire long-range missiles at Ukrainian cities. Reuters said the source provided video footage reportedly showing the strikes, in which several large aircraft appearing to be Tu-95 bombers were on fire. The Tu-95 was originally used to carry nuclear bombs and now launches cruise missiles. Several Russian and Ukrainian media outlets reported that Ukraine carried out the operation by launching drones from lorries parked near military airfields deep inside Russia. According to a source cited by the well-connected Ukrainska Pravda, the operation — codenamed 'Spiderweb' — had been in preparation for more than 18 months. The outlet reported that the drones were first smuggled into Russia and later concealed under the roofs of small wooden structures, which were mounted on the lorries. Mash, a Telegram channel with links to Russia's security services, published footage that appeared to show men in Siberia's Irkutsk region climbing on to a lorry in an attempt to prevent drones from launching. Footage from several military airfields across Russia showed destroyed aircraft and planes engulfed in flames, though the full extent of the damage remained unclear. In one clip, filmed at the burning airbase in Voskresensk, Moscow region, a Russian serviceman is heard saying, 'It's fucked here,' as several bombers burn in the background. Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Ukraine has been chronically outgunned by Russia in terms of military firepower. But it has developed a nimble and sizeable fleet of attack drones used to pummel Russia's army and energy infrastructure. The Belaya airbase reportedly targeted on Sunday is in Russia's Irkutsk oblast, more than 4,000km from Ukraine. Ukraine's Kyiv Independent newspaper said the oblast's governor, Igor Kobzev, later confirmed 'a drone attack on a military unit in the village of Sredny', but gave no further details. The attack came as Russian investigators said they believed 'explosions' had caused two bridges in the border regions of Kursk and Bryansk to collapse overnight, derailing trains, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens. In Bryansk, which borders Ukraine, a road bridge collapsed on to a railway line late on Saturday, derailing a passenger train heading to Moscow and killing at least seven people. A rail bridge in neighbouring Kursk also collapsed overnight, derailing a freight train and injuring the driver, officials said. Kursk also borders Ukraine. It said Murmansk oblast's governor, Andrey Chibis, also confirmed that 'enemy drones have attacked the territory of the Murmansk region'. In March, Ukraine said it had developed a new drone with a range of 3,000km without providing further details. Separately, the Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 472 drones overnight, the highest nightly total of the war so far, as well as seven missiles. Ukraine had previously refused to commit to attending a new round of direct talks in Turkey but on Sunday President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a delegation led by his defence minister, Rustem Umerov, would be in Istanbul. 'I have also defined our position before the Monday meeting in Istanbul', which includes priorities to reach 'a complete and unconditional ceasefire' and the return of prisoners and abducted children, he said on social media. With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
GMA Network
4 days ago
- GMA Network
PH to provide legal assistance to 11 Pinoys jailed in Nigeria
The Philippine government will assist the 11 Filipinos who were jailed in Nigeria for alleged "cyber-terrorism and internet fraud," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said Sunday. 'Our Embassy is working on the case. They will be provided legal assistance,' De Vega told GMA News Online. On Saturday, the Agence France Presse reported the Filipinos were among 15 foreigners who were arrested, which include two Chinese, one Malaysian and one Indonesian. They were each sentenced to one year in prison by a Lagos court and fined one million naira (about $630) after they pleaded guilty, said Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spokesman Dele Oyewale. They were accused of recruiting young Nigerians for "identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality." The Philippines has an embassy in Abuja, Nigeria and a consulate in Lagos. —RF, GMA Integrated News
