A teenage girl has been named the “Most Redheaded Icelander” at a festival in a local town that honors its Irish roots. “Vigdis Birna won the competition this year. She is 13 years old and lives in Akranes in west Iceland,” said Sigrun Agusta, spokesperson for the local council. The competition was hosted for the 22nd time, and the winner was awarded a voucher for Icelandair travel. Vigdis Birna, who won the competition for the Most Redheaded Icelander. (Sunna Gautadottir/Zenger)“The redhead competition is hosted during the Irish Days festival, which we celebrate every year in our hometown Akranes,” said Agusta.…
Author: zenger.news
A Russian fighter jet intercepted an American reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea and escorted it away from the Russian border on July 13, according to the Russian National Defense Control Center (NDCC). A Sukhoi Su-30 fighter plane was deployed after the ground crew of Russia’s Southern Military District detected the U.S. aircraft on their radar system. “The crew of the Russian fighter identified the air target as an EP-3E Ares aircraft of the US Air Force and escorted it,” an NDCC spokesperson said. Russian authorities said the fighter jet escorted the American plane away from the border before returning…
Four Iranian models have been arrested for not wearing hijabs, the head coverings worn by Muslim women, after a video was posted online showing them at a fashion store opening. The event was organized for the opening of a new fashion shop where the owner hired four models to give it a touch of glamour. But after the video was shown online, a copy of it ended up with police from the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who arrested all four models and the shop’s owner. The arrests took place in the city of Mahabad in…
Two of the largest U.S. public college systems will not mandate COVID-19 vaccines for students returning to campuses for the upcoming Fall semester until the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) upgrades the vaccine approvals beyond an “emergency” stage. The California State University system (CSU) and the State University of New York system (SUNY) have both announced “pending” vaccine mandates that will go into effect when the FDA finally grants full approval to any one of the three COVID-19 vaccines, which are currently authorized only under less strenuous emergency-use rules. The decisions will impact more than 800,000 students. The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines…
PARIS — France’s Competition Authority imposed a fine of 500 million Euros ($591 million) on tech giant Google on July 13 for non-compliance with one of its rulings made last year. The regulatory body issued a ruling regarding Google’s compensations to French publishers for the use of their content. In 2019, France’s General information Press Alliance, comprising around 300 national and regional media outlets, filed a complaint against Google for its refusal to operate under the European legislation on neighboring rights, designed to make digital corporations account for their use of media content online. “In a decision made public, the Authority is imposing…
NEW DELHI — Bhutan became the first country in the world to adopt India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) standards for its quick response (QR) code on July 13. In a virtual ceremony, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Bhutan’s Finance Minister Lyonpo Namgay Tshering jointly launched BHIM-UPI in Bhutan. Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) is India’s digital payment application that works through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which is an instant real-time payment system. The UPI enables multiple bank accounts to operate from a single mobile application. Bhutan also became the first country in India’s immediate neighborhood to accept mobile-based payments through…
NAGPUR, India — Indian researchers have developed customized implants for patients who faced facial tissue loss due to mucormycosis, a rare fungal infection. The developments come from LUCID Implants located in Nagpur, a city in India’s southwestern state, Maharashtra. LUCID Implants has become the first Indian company to produce Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) based customized implants keeping a patient’s unique facial anatomy in mind with advanced 3D printing technologies and virtual surgical planning. Polyether ether ketone is used in several industries, like electrical, automotive, and aerospace. “At LUCID, our vision is to constantly innovate through intensive research in the field of biomedical engineering…
BENGALURU, India — Online vocational education company Vah Vah! has secured an early investment of $1.85 million in a seed round from Sequoia Capital India’s Surge. Surge is Sequoia India’s rapid scale-up program for start-ups in India and Southeast Asia. Surge combines $1 million to $2 million of seed capital with company-building workshops, a global curriculum, and support from a community of mentors and founders. The program’s goal is to supercharge early-stage start-ups and give founders an unfair advantage right out of the gate. Vah Vah! is a part of Surge’s fifth cohort of 23 companies that have developed new digital solutions to help firms…
TOKYO — With less than ten days to go, the Olympic Village for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has officially opened its doors on July 13, thus, welcoming athletes across the globe. The Games are scheduled to take place till August 8. More than 11,000 athletes from 205 different National Olympic Committees and the International Olympic Committee’s Refugee Olympic Team will take part in the Games, and the majority of them are expected to reside in the village situated in the picturesque Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo. “The athletes are grateful that these Olympic Games are happening under these circumstances and that all…
NEW DELHI — Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, known for his charismatic dance moves, treated his fans to a video wherein he displayed his rhythmic footwork and killer dance moves. Announcing that Tuesdays are his days to be around people who can dance, the “Super 30” actor took to his Instagram handle on July 13, 2021, and shared a monochrome filter video in which he could be seen wearing a pair of pants and a T-shirt along with a pair of shoes. Though Roshan’s face was not visible for most of the video, he seemed to be enjoying his dance session as he moved from…