A devastating fire tore through a newly opened mall, the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, in Kut, eastern Iraq, claiming the lives of at least 61 people. According to authorities, who have since launched an investigation, 11 people are still missing.
“The tragic fire claimed the lives of 61 innocent citizens, most of whom suffocated in bathrooms, and among them 14 charred bodies yet to be identified,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
According to witnesses, a number of people suffocated in the bathrooms, while a person shared that five of his relatives died inside an elevator.
The fire was said to have broken on the first floor but spread really quickly and engulfed the entire building. Although the exact cause remains unknown, allegedly, the tragedy struck after an air-conditioner exploded.
Civil defense teams were able to rescue more than 45 people trapped inside the five-storey mall which includes a restaurant and a supermarket.
The place opened just five days before the disaster, marking one of the country’s deadliest tragedies in recent years.
Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor from Iraq, lost five family members in the fire.
“We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home.
“An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted — and we couldn’t escape,” he said.
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Governor Miyahi has declared a three-day period of mourning and disclosed that authorities intend to pursue legal action against the contractor and the mall’s proprietor. “The tragedy is a major shock… and requires a serious review of all safety measures,” he said.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered a “thorough probe” into the fire to identify “shortcomings” and prevent further incidents.
Iraq’s construction sector often ignores safety rules, which leads to fires and incidents.
In 2023, more than 100 people lost their lives after a fire broke inside a crowded wedding hall, triggering a stampede. Two years prior, more than 60 people got killed when a COVID-19 unit of a hospital burned down.
The lack of adequate fire preventing systems and safety standards sparked anger among the people of Iraq.
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What started as a routine cross-country flight quickly turned frustrating for a woman who happened to be seated next to an entitled passenger.
The man behaved as though the plane belonged to him and made everyone around him feel extremely uncomfortable.
At one moment, just as the meal was served, the woman went to the restroom. When she returned to her seat, she was shocked to see the entitled man eating her meal.
Initially, she thought it would be for the best to pretend as though he didn’t steal her food, but then she changed her mind and confronted him.
Shrugging with a smirk, he said, “You took too long. I figured you didn’t want it. You snooze, you lose.”
The woman was left with nothing but a small bag of pretzels, while the man shamelessly enjoyed two full meals.
It was then that the woman alerted the flight-attendant of the incident, but not much was done. As the man dozed off and began snoring, the woman was left hungry and stunned by his blatant audacity.
But then, something happened and she saw it as a chance to have her little revenge.
Upon landing, an unexpected gate change was announced for the San Diego-bound flight. The woman glanced at the entitled man and thought about waking him up and telling him about the change, but she decided not to. Instead, she left him to his nap and rushed to make her flight.
Later, in San Diego, while catching up with some co-workers, the woman learned of a man arguing with a gate agent at LAX after missing his connection. She was eager to learn what he looked like, and just as she assumed, it was that entitled passenger who stole her food.
It turned out that while he was fast asleep, karma was wide awake.
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Kate Middleton received a standing ovation when she appeared at the Wimbledon tennis finals last weekend. Her presence at this event has always been embraced by the public, especially now that she has beat cancer.
During her youth, the Princess of Wales was a promising tennis player, and although she didn’t get to play the sport professionally, it is still very close to her heart.
Her children Prince George and Princess Charlotte both took up the sport, and together, they attend the Wimbledon finals every year.
For a third year in a row, Charlotte accompanied her mother at the women’s final on Saturday a week ago between Polish player Iga Swiontek and the US’s Amanda Anisimova from the Royal Box.
On Sunday, Prince George accompanied his sister, mother, and father, Prince William, to witness Italian Jannik Sinner’s victory over Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon Men’s final.
Karwai Tang/WireImage
Following the match, the Italian met the royal family and signed three tennis balls Princess Charlotte was holding. Although the youngest of the siblings wasn’t in attendance, his sister and his mom made sure Prince Louis also received a signed ball.
As they talked, eager to know how Sinner would celebrate his victory, Kate smiled and made a comment about the tennis balls he was signing. “Thank you so much, that’s really kind,” Princess Kate told the Italian sports star.
“We brought one for their brother as well,” she added, to which Prince William said, “Louis would be very upset otherwise,” as they both laughed.
Kate made more than one comment about her son Louis this past week. During an exhibit of items from the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, the Princess compared Louis to a former monarch.
“I should know,” she said, per Hello Magazine, regarding a portrait of a young King Louis XIV, who ruled France from 1643 to 1715.
Andrew Parsons – Pool/Getty Images
While Kate’s presence to the men’s finals delighted many, it also raised concerns about her health.
While some dubbed her chick and elegant, there were comments regarding her looks.
“Her arms…my god, she does not look well,” one wrote.
Another added: “Her face doesn’t look that gaunt yet her body is so thin,” while a third commented, “She looks painfully thin, but still angelically, dazzlingly beautiful.”
Recently, Kate spoke of her battle with cancer and confessed that time after treatment wasn’t what she expected.
“You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult,” Kate Middleton said.
“You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to. And actually, someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment, I think is really valuable.”
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When my husband and I married, we knew we wanted children. We already had a girl, Maddison, from his first marriage that I got to love as my own, but still, we dreamed of a big family. Also, Maddie kept asking about a little brother or sister.
However, things didn’t go as planned and we struggled with fertility issues for a couple of years before we opted for an IVF treatment. Luckily, it was successful, and soon after, I learned I was carrying a child.
Needless to say, Maddie was over the moon.
On the day of our gender reveal party that we spent weeks planning, Maddie wore her most fabulous dress, eager to learn if we were going to welcome a boy or a girl into our lives.
All of our family and friends were there, and nothing spoke trouble until we cut the cake. Instead of a pink or blue color, the inside of the cake was gray. A dull, cement-like gray.
The room fell silent. I could feel the stares of the guests who wondered what was going on.
My husband’s face went pale. He leaned over and muttered, “Something’s not right,” before stepping away to call the bakery. But even before he could make the call, I noticed Maddie wasn’t there.
We went out to look for her, when we heard an uncontrollable sobbing coming from one of the rooms.
“What’s wrong, Maddie,” I asked her, but she refused to answer. “Please, you can tell me everything. Do you know who ruined the cake?”
That’s when Maddie looked straight into my eyes and asked, “Mom, is it true that IVF babies aren’t real?”
“Oh, Maddie, honey, who told you that?” I asked. And that’s when she told me it was my MIL, Beatrice, who said something so cruel.
Without saying anything, I took Maddie’s hand and placed it on my belly. “Can you feel the baby moving?” I asked her while wiping her tears.
Maddie smiled. “Yes, the baby kicked. Mom, the baby is real.”
“Of course it is, and soon, it will be here with us.”
Listening to our conversation, my husband knew he needed to confront his mother.
The worst thing of all was that she didn’t even try to defend herself. On the contrary, she confessed she was the one who called the bakery and asked for the grey color because she was convinced IFV babies weren’t natural nor God approved.
Her words were ridiculous. Everyone at the party, which she ruined, was shocked by what she said.
My husband couldn’t put up with her silly behavior and asked her to leave.
She just turned around and left. No apology, no regret.
Eventually, we decided not to throw another party, we just waited until the very end to witness if our little miracle would be a boy or a girl. And yes, Maddie was over the moon to welcome a baby sister.
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During Coldplay’s recent Boston concert, frontman Chris Martin sparkled a viral moment when the ‘kiss cam’ revealed what many believe is an ongoing affair. As the cam pointed to a man having his arms around a woman, the man ducked down of sight, while the woman tried to hide her face.
Martin’s reaction? “Oh look at these two,” he could be heard saying in the clip that has since gone viral. “Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just really shy.”
In no time, the “couple” was identified as the CEO of the New York-based company Astronomer, Andy Byron, and the Chief People Officer of the company Kristin Cabot.
The internet found out he’s married and she knows 🙃 Imagine being caught having an affair by Coldplay 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/XtdQspLixO
It turned out that what was supposed to be a romantic evening for Byron and his employee, spiraled into one of the most viral corporate scandals of the year.
Needless to say, the clip — of what many believe to be an infidelity in progress — has since gone viral, causing a massive uproar online.
In the wake of the “exposed affair,” a statement which appeared to be written by Byron was shared on the social media. It refers to a “deeply personal mistake playing out on a very public stage.” It adds: “I want to sincerely apologize to my wife, my family, and the team at Astronomer. You deserve better from me as a partner, as a father, and as a leader.”
The ending? A quote from Coldplay: “Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.”
X/@petereniscbs
However, it turned out that the statement wasn’t a genuine one. In fact, it was a parody from an X profile belonging to someone named Peter Enis of CBS News.
Speaking to TMZ, Astronomer said the statement was not real.
A community note was later added to the original ‘statement’, which read: “Peter Enis does not exist at CBS News. Until earlier today, this account was listed as a parody. This changed deliberately to mislead.
“Thank you to all who made today so funny. I’m glad you all enjoyed the Fix You lyric at the end. I debated on that one.. Best, P.Enis.”
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The prognosis for Officer Rami, who was severely injured during a mission, was bleak. After weeks in the hospital, doctors decided to take him off life support, but before that, they let his K9 Lari to say goodbye. Little did the doctors know, however, that things would change in ways they could only dub mysterious.
Officer Rami sustained severe traumatic brain injury after losing consciousness during the mission. Sadly, he never regained it. With each passing day, he was getting weaker and weaker.
The family was informed that there was nothing that could be done, and taking him off life support was the best decision for both the officer and those close to him.
However, when Lari was allowed to see his master, he wouldn’t stop barking and licking his hands. He kept walking hesitantly, his ears drooped, and his large eyes shone with anxiety and confusion.
When the dog jumped onto his master’s bed and started sniffing his face, something incredible happened — Officer Rami’s fingers twitched.
Luckily, a nurse was there and witnessed the movement. The heart monitor’s rhythm shifted, beeping more rapidly.
In the next moment, the room was filled with neurosurgeons, neurologists, nurses, and other doctors.
One of them approached the officer and asked him to squeeze his hand if he could hear him. Rami’s fingers curled weakly.
It took a couple more weeks before Officer Rami could start speaking again, but his condition improved drastically and he was eventually discharged from the hospital.
Once home, his memory started resurfacing, piece by piece, but he still had troubles recalling the night when he got injured.
Then, one evening, his mother brought an album and started showing Rami pictures, trying to help him remember more about his life. And then, at one moment, Rami spotted a familiar face. “Who’s this?” he asked.
“That’s Odell. He was your squad partner. You were paired up for that mission,” she said.
And that’s when Rami remembered. On the night of that mission that changed his life forever, Rami wanted to wait for backup but Odell pushed to go in early. When they eventually decided to enter the warehouse where the two suspects were, Odell went first, and Rami followed. Then, Odell made a signa that went against their agreed plan. As Rami tried to pull back, Odell forced him ahead — straight into harm’s way.
The following day, Rami went forward with that information, and eventually, a footage that everyone believed was nonexistent until then emerged and showed that Rami was telling the truth.
It was all shady from the beginning. Odell never visited his partner at the hospital, and it was the first red flag.
Once everything was cleared, Rami, who returned to duty — not as an officer but as a K9 handler — turned to Lari and said, “Hey buddy, you knew everything from the start. You knew I needed to wake up and stop a liar from getting away with it.”
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Claiming Rosie O’Donnell posses a “threat to humanity,” President Donald Trump posted on the social media that he considers revoking her citizenship.
“Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,” he posted on Truth Social.
“She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA.”
The star of A League of Their Own left the U.S. for Ireland following Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential election. “I knew it was time to go,” she told CNN. “I’ve never once regretted the move.” O’Donnell made the decision to leave the States along with her nonbinary child due to concerns about Project 2025.
Rosie O’Donnell/ Getty
“I look at America and I feel overwhelmingly depressed,” she explained. “I knew what [the Trump administration] was planning to do, because I read Project 2025.”
She added: “I know what he’s capable of. And I didn’t want to put myself through another four years of him being in charge.
“I picked up and left before the inauguration – because I wasn’t going to take any chances.”
In fact, the feud between Trump and O’Donnell dates back to 2006 when she criticized him on The View, calling him a “snake-oil salesman” and an “orange slug.”
REUTERS via NewYork Post
Trump responded to the insults, referring to the comedian as a “fat pig,” “loser” and “disgusting.”
Following the recent threats, O’Donnell responded to Trump. Taking to Instagram, she wrote, “Go ahead and try, King Joffrey with a tangerine spray tan. I’m not yours to silence.”
In an interview on RTÉ Radio 1, she described Trump as “racist, sexist, and a threat to global stability.” O’Donnell added that although Trump probably can’t legally take away her citizenship, she warned that the Supreme Court is gaining too much power under his watch.
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Princess Charlotte, the only daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, is truly a special young lady whose personality shines through more and more with each passing year. Many agree that she resembles her late grandmother, Princess Diana — especially since, on many occasions, she has unknowingly replicated one of Diana’s most distinctive expressions: looking up through her eyelashes with a slightly tilted head. This signature look, that gave the impression that Diana was shy, became known as the “Spencer Stare.”
Some believe that the little princess has also inherited her grandma’s jawline and eyes, with a number of people pointing that out on the social media.
“William, Charlotte, and Diana all have the same eye shape, with William even sharing Diana’s eye colour,” one person noted. “The little princess looks so much like her grandmother Diana, beautiful as ever,” another commented on a TikTok video of Charlotte.
But, it seems like this resemblance is not limited to looks only — on the contrary, it looks like Charlotte also shares her grandma’s caring and loving nature.
Sadly, neither Charlotte nor her siblings had the chance to meet their paternal grandma who died after she and her partner Dodi Fayed, the son of Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, her driver Henri Paul, and her bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones crashed the Mercedes they were driving in the Pont de I’Alma tunnel in Paris while trying to escape the paparazzi. At the time of her tragic passing on August 31, 1997, Diana was 36 years old.
In the past, William opened up about his mother and revealed how he speaks genuinely of her in front of his children. “We’ve got more photos up around the house now of her, and we talk about her a bit and stuff. It’s hard because obviously, [Kate] didn’t know her, so she cannot really provide that level of detail,” he said in a 2017 BBC documentary.
“So, I do regularly, putting George or Charlotte to bed, talk about her and just try and remind them that there are two grandmothers, there were two grandmothers in their lives, and so it’s important that they know who she was and that she existed,” William added.
In the past, Prince William and Princess Kate shared some of their children’s cards made for Mother’s Day from the previous years. The children, however, not only wrote cards for their mom but also for their late grandmother.
In one of them, Charlotte wrote, “Dear Granny Diana, I am thinking of you on mother’s day.
I love you very much. Papa is missing you. Lots of love, Charlotte”.
Twitter/KensingtonRoyal
Just like his mother did, William wants to expose his three children to the realities outside the royal bubble.
“George, Charlotte and Louis are not only allowed to be playful, fun, spontaneous, and even cheeky in public, they are actively encouraged by their mum and dad, who often look at their most proud and most doting when they are doing so,” royal and body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail in 2023.
Prince William wants to make sure his children are aware that not everyone is fortunate as they are and that there are people out there who need help.
When he and Harry were young, Princess Diana took them to a homeless shelter, and now William intends to do the same with his own children.
“My mother introduced me to the cause of homelessness from quite a young age, and I’m really glad she did,” William explained. “I think when I can balance it with their schooling, they will definitely be exposed to it. On the school run, we talk about what we see. When we were in London, driving backwards and forwards, we regularly used to see people sitting outside supermarkets and we’d talk about it.”
He continued: “I’d say to the children, ‘Why are they there? What’s going on?’ I think it’s in all our interests, it’s the right thing to do, to expose the children, at the right stage, in the right dialogue, so they have an understanding.”
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Katie Nicholl, a royal expert, believes it is appropriate for Prince William to carry on his mother’s values.
“It wasn’t just Diana – Charles also wanted his sons to have a better understanding of life outside the Palace walls,” she told OK!. “They both came from the same perspective of wanting to raise those boys with an understanding of normal life outside the confines of royal protocol.”
“William and Kate’s children are probably more aware of homelessness than most children from privileged backgrounds, because it’s something their father campaigns passionately for and has done since he was 18. I think their eyes have been quite wide open from an early age – and that is largely because of William and Kate’s hard work,” she added.
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