1000 Facebook likes or I will drop him: Man jailed for dangling toddler out of window
Social media erupted with anger and shock after the post went viral, leading to his arrest on Sunday.
UPDATED ON JUN 22, 2017 04:53 PM IST
An Algerian man has been sent to prison for two years for dangling a toddler out of a window of a high-rise building in the capital Algiers while asking for 1000 Facebook likes.
The unnamed man shared a picture of himself holding the baby by his t-shirt with a caption ‘1000 Fb likes or I will drop him’, according to news site Al Arabiya.
Social media erupted with anger and shock after the post went viral, leading to his arrest on Sunday. He has, however, defended himself, saying the image was photoshopped by Facebook users, reports said.
“The picture was taken in a balcony with protective barriers. These were removed,” he said.
The child’s father pleaded for mercy on behalf of the man, who is a relative, saying it was all part of a game, the BBC reported.
The court dismissed the pleas and charged him with child abuse.
Davos ski resort eerily quiet without economic talkfest this year
Reuters, Davos
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 09:18 PM IST
- The streets of the little Alpine town that welcomed around 3,000 business chiefs, political thinkers, and state leaders for last year's annual meeting lie deserted. Discussions have moved online, starting Monday, and Covid-19 restrictions are also keeping regular tourists away.
UK doctors seek 'urgent review' of 12-week gap between vaccine doses
AP
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 09:18 PM IST
AstraZeneca has said it believes a first dose of its vaccine offers protection after 12 weeks, but Pfizer says it has not tested the efficacy of its jab after such a long gap.
Protests erupt across Russia demanding Alexei Navalny's release
AP
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 09:09 PM IST
Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlin’s side for a decade, unusually durable in an opposition movement often demoralized by repressions.
South Africa's regulatory body approves Serum Institute of India's vaccine
PTI, Johannesburg
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 08:41 PM IST
- Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Friday that approval has been granted to SII, to supply vaccines to the country. The approval comes amid growing concerns that the 1.5 million vaccine doses to be shipped to South Africa in the next few weeks had not been approved by the local regulator.
Cancelled Keystone XL Pipeline may yield 48,000 tons of scrap
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 07:42 PM IST
About 150 kilometers of pipe had been installed and an additional 2.2 kilometers had been completed at the Canada-US border. That would amount to nearly 48,000 tons of steel, assuming standard dimensions of line pipe, according to Bloomberg calculations based on industry criteria.
Police detain 1,090 people at Russia rallies to back Kremlin foe Navalny
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 07:29 PM IST
At least 40,000 people joined a protest in central Moscow, according to a Reuters estimates, and rallies took place in dozens of other cities and towns.
Saudi Arabia optimistic, expects 'excellent relations' with Biden administration
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 07:25 PM IST
Biden pledged on the election campaign trail to reassess ties with Saudi Arabia, a state he described as a "pariah" in 2019.
Don't talk on public transport to curb Covid spread, advise French doctors
AP, Paris
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 06:57 PM IST
France's hospitals now hold more Covid patients than in October, when President Emmanuel Macron imposed a second lockdown. Virus patients occupy more than half of the country's intensive care beds.
Larry King, program host who interviewed presidents, dies at 87
Bloomberg
UPDATED ON JAN 23, 2021 06:59 PM IST
King died Saturday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to a statement on his official Twitter account.
Alexei Navalny's wife says detained at Moscow protest
AFP
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 06:49 PM IST
"Apologies for the poor quality. Very bad light in the police van," she wrote on Instagram with an accompanying photo, after thousands of Navalny supporters joined nationwide demonstrations against the Kremlin.
At 78 and the oldest president, Joe Biden sees a world changed
AP, Washington
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 06:48 PM IST
A look at how the country Biden now leads has changed over his lifetime and how his presidency might reflect that.
Covid-19: UK Prime Minister's TV spokesperson self-isolates over virus fears
ANI, London
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 06:35 PM IST
On Tuesday, UK Health Minister Matt Hancock had self-isolated over the risk of coronavirus infection.
List of countries under restrictions a year after world's first Covid lockdown
By hindustantimes.com | Written by Deepali Sharma, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 06:14 PM IST
Here is the list of countries still under lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
French health body HAS recommends six weeks gap between Covid-19 vaccine shots
Reuters, Paris
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 06:13 PM IST
The Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS) said spacing out the two required vaccinations of the Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna vaccines would allow the treatment of at least 700,000 more people in the first month.
TikTok reviews Italian data watchdog’s order to block accounts
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 04:50 PM IST
The strengthening of rules came after a 10-year-old girl died of asphyxiation in Palermo, Sicily, while taking part in a so-called blackout challenge on TikTok, the news agency cited her parents as saying.