The Tunisian president's office said on Wednesday that a suspicious envelope was received by the Carthage Palace, the country's official news agency reported.
The agency quoted a Tunisian official without referring to his name that the envelope did not contain any document but a suspicious powder.
He added that President Kais Saied did not receive/open the envelope but it was opened by an employee.
The official source noted that the envelope and the powder were sent to a lab for tests.
Meanwhile, an unofficial Facebook page holding the president's name said Saied was subjected to a poisoning attempt through a letter that contained "toxic ricin material."
On Aug. 21, a Tunisian daily said the police received reports over attempts to poison the president by bread that comes to the presidential office. The Tunisian police, however, investigated the case and found it untrue.

Powder in letter taken to lab for testing

President Kais Saied did not receive/open the envelope but it was opened by an employee

Suspicious envelope found in Tunisia president's office

American Airlines Group Inc reported an $8.9 billion annual loss on Thursday, its biggest on record, as travel restrictions and lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the aviation industry in 2020.
Airlines are hoping that sentiment will improve this year as COVID-19 vaccines are more widely distributed. However, new strains of the virus have triggered tighter rules for international travel in countries including the United States.
The company posted a net loss of $2.18 billion, or $3.81 per share, for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with a profit of $414 million, or 95 cents per share, a year earlier.
The company said its cash burn rate was about $30 million a day in the quarter.
-As we look to the year ahead, 2021 will be a year of recovery- Chief Executive Dough Parker said in a statement.
On an adjusted basis, the company lost $3.86 per share. Total operating revenue fell to $4.03 billion from $11.31 billion.
American Airlines ended the fourth quarter with about $14.3 billion in available liquidity.

Airlines are hoping that sentiment will improve this year as COVID-19 vaccines are more widely distributed

A member of a ground crew walks past American Airlines planes parked at the gate during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, U.S., April 5, 2020.

American Airlines posts record annual loss on pandemic pain

Italian police on Thursday accused a Sicilian woman of "inciting suicide" for an asphyxiation video she posted on TikTok, a week after a child accidentally died in a so-called blackout challenge.
Police said the video, posted without restrictions on the social media platform by the 48-year-old Sicilian "influencer", was "extremely dangerous" and able to be viewed by everyone, including children.
The video depicts a challenge between the woman and a man "in which both wrapped their faces, including nostrils and mouth, with transparent adhesive tape, so that they could not breathe", police said in a statement, adding that the video had been taken down.
Italian investigators have been probing TikTok, a video-sharing network owned by Chinese company ByteDance, since the death last week of a 10-year-old girl who allegedly participated in such a "choking game", in which restricted oxygen to the brain induces a high.
Italy's privacy watchdog temporarily blocked TikTok access for users whose age could not be proved definitively.
Police on Thursday did not specify whether the video in question had been viewed by the girl, but noted that it and similar ones "could be emulated by minors". 
The woman who posted the video had published numerous other similar challenges, "which allowed her to gain popularity and the attention of 731,000 followers of different ages". 
Viewers were allowed to accept the challenge, police said, citing one post in which a user wrote "if you say hi to me I swear I'll jump out the window".
Prosecutors authorised a search of the woman's computer and social network accounts. 
According to TikTok's terms and conditions, users must be at least 13 years old.
Italy's data regulators said Wednesday they were also looking into how minors accessed Facebook and Instagram.
The watchdog filed a legal case in December against TikTok alleging a "lack of attention to the protection of minors", criticising the ease with which very young children could sign up.

Police said the video was "extremely dangerous" and able to be viewed by everyone, including children

Italian investigators have been probing TikTok since the death last week of a 10-year-old girl who allegedly participated in a 'choking game'

TikTok choking video incites suicide

Boeing’s 737 MAX airliner is safe to return to service in Europe, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said on Wednesday, lifting a 22-month flight ban after two crashes of the jet which caused 346 deaths.
-We have every confidence that the aircraft is safe, which is the precondition for giving our approval. But we will continue to monitor 737 MAX operations closely as the aircraft resumes service- EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky said.
-In parallel, and at our insistence, Boeing has also committed to work to enhance the aircraft still further in the medium term, in order to reach an even higher level of safety- he said.

EASA lifted a 22-month flight ban after two crashes of the jet which caused 346 deaths

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Chief Steve Dickson pilots a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on takeoff of an evaluation flight from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, U.S. September 30, 2020.

Boeing 737 MAX safe to return to service in Europe, regulator says

Pope Francis on Wednesday marked the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by urging people to keep a close watch on ideological extremism, because “these things can happen again”.&nbsp;He spoke three weeks after displays of anti-Semitism surfaced at the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6 and two weeks after one of Montreal’s largest synagogues was vandalised and almost set on fire.
Speaking at his general audience, held inside the papal library because of coronavirus restrictions, Francis said it was imperative that the world did not forget.
-To remember is an expression of humanity. To remember is a sign of civility. To remember is a condition for a better future of peace and fraternity- said Francis, who visited Auschwitz in 2016.
The Nazis and their allies murdered around 6 million Jews, as well as others, in German-occupied Europe.
More than a million people, most of them Jews, were killed at Auschwitz in southern Poland, which was liberated by Soviet troops on Jan. 27, 1945. The vast majority were gassed to death.
Francis said society should never let its guard down against the dangers of nationalism.
-To remember also means being careful because these things can happen again, starting with ideological proposals that claim to want to save a people but end up destroying a people and humanity- he said.
-Be wary of how this path of death, extermination and brutality started- he said, referring to the Nazis’ rise to power in the 1930s on a wave a extreme nationalism.
At the U.S. Capitol riot, some supporters of former President Donald Trump wore clothes bearing anti-Semitic messages or displayed Nazi symbols.
One wore a T-shirt reading “Camp Auschwitz” and another wore a T-shirt with the inscription “6MWE,” a far-right acronym that stands for “6 Million Wasn’t Enough”.

The Nazis and their allies murdered around 6 million Jews, as well as others, in German-occupied Europe

Pope Francis delivers his weekly general audience from the library of the Apostolic Palace, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Vatican, January 27, 2021.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pope warns against new nationalism

YouTube has suspended Donald Trump indefinitely from the platform and said it will also prevent the former president's lawyer Rudy Giuliani from being able to monetize his clips, US media reported.
It comes a week after the social media giant confirmed it would extend a ban on Trump's channel -- which has just under three million subscribers -- joining other social media platforms in banning his accounts following the deadly January 6 Capitol riot.
The Google-owned firm has faced some criticism over its slow response following the violence in Washington, as well as the proliferation of conspiracy theories on the platform.
-In light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, the Donald J Trump channel will remain suspended- a YouTube spokesperson told Politico.
The company said separately that Giuliani's account would be barred from the Partner Program -- which allows creators to make money off their videos -- after repeatedly violating its policy against posting misleading information about the US election.
The 76-year-old has posted videos titled "The Biden Crime Family's Payoff Scheme" and "Election Theft of the Century" to his channel, which has around 600,000 subscribers.
The ban on making money off his clips comes as the former New York mayor faces a $1.3 billion lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems after alleging on social media that the firm had engaged in election fraud.
According to YouTube, Giuliani will be able to appeal the decision in 30 days -- providing the underlying issues have been fixed.

The Google-owned firm has faced some criticism over its slow response following the violence in Washington, as well as the proliferation of conspiracy theories on the platform

Social media platforms have banned Donald Trump's accounts following the deadly January 6 Capitol riot

YouTube suspends Trump indefinitely, stops Giuliani monetizing clips

The Netherlands braced on Tuesday for a fourth consecutive night of coronavirus anti-lockdown riots, with some shops boarding their windows and sending staff home early for safety.Dutch police detained more than 180 people on Monday night, where roaming groups set fires, threw rocks and looted stores in several cities.
The Netherlands’ first curfew since World War Two was imposed on Saturday despite weeks of falling infections, after the National Institute for Health (RIVM) said a faster-spreading variant first found in England was causing a third of cases.
A hospital in Rotterdam warned visitors of patients to stay away, after rioters tried to attack hospitals in various cities in the past days.
-We have had riots in the past, but it’s rare to have this for several nights across the entire country- said National Police spokeswoman Suzanne van de Graaf. -It’s not only in known problem areas, but much more widespread.-
Riot police with shields and batons were called out in more than 10 cities, many of which had issued emergency decrees to provide officers with greater powers to conduct searches.
Police had scuffled with rioters in several cities late into the night, chasing them down narrow streets with vans or on foot as helicopters hovered overhead.

In Amsterdam on Monday, groups of youths threw fireworks, broke store windows and attacked a police truck, but were broken up by a massive police presence.
Ten police officers were injured in Rotterdam, where 60 rioters were detained overnight after widespread looting and destruction in the city centre, a police spokeswoman said. Supermarkets in the port city were emptied, while rubbish bins and vehicles were set ablaze.
Two photographers were hurt after being targeted by rock-throwing gangs, one in Amsterdam and another in the nearby town of Haarlem, police said.
Coronavirus infections have been falling in recent weeks, with the number of new cases down by 8% over the past week. A little under 4,000 new infections were reported on Tuesday, the smallest daily increase since Nov 24.
But the RIVM said the situation in the Netherlands was still very serious as a result of the more contagious variant that has caused a massive surge in cases in Britain.
Van de Graaf said much of the aggression during the three days of unrest had been targeted at police officers. More than 470 people have been arrested, with riot police deploying water cannon and officers on horseback in several places.
Schools and non-essential shops across the Netherlands have been shut since mid-December. Bars and restaurants were closed two months earlier. The country’s death toll stands at 13,664, with 956,867 infections to date.

Riot police with shields and batons were called out in more than 10 cities

Police officers and vehicles arrive to disperse people from the site of one of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) curfew protests in Geleen, Netherlands January 25, 2021.

Shops boarded up as Dutch brace for fourth night of coronavirus riots

At least six people were killed and more than 175,000 affected by tropical cyclone Eloise that hit Mozambique last week, a report said on Tuesday.
The storm hit Sofala’s capital Beira and surrounding areas on Jan. 23, and left “streets waist deep in floodwaters littered with debris in some areas,” according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
More than 8,000 houses have been destroyed or flooded while residents fleeing the cyclone left behind food supplies, farming tools and seeds, while others with chronic diseases were not able to get to their medicines as the storm forced them to flee with “little more than the clothes on their backs."
They also face the risk of being infected with coronavirus as many lost their masks, said the report.
The IOM said that 32 accommodation centers have been activated in Sofala province to provide temporary shelter to over 15,000 men, women and children.
Schools, government facilities and religious buildings are being used to shelter the displaced families. Residents are also suffering from power outages.

Residents fleeing storm left food supplies, medicines behind, says International Organization for Migration

The IOM said that 32 accommodation centers have been activated in Sofala province to provide temporary shelter to over 15,000 men, women and children

Mozambique: 6 killed, 8,000 homes damaged in cyclone

Lawmakers confirmed Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary on Monday, making her the first woman in American history to hold the position.
As head of the Treasury, she'll be tasked with shepherding President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan through Congress and overseeing its execution. The plan includes $1,400 stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits, and increased funding for Covid-19 vaccinations and testing.
During her confirmation hearing last week, Yellen defended the size and scope of the plan, saying the first priority of the incoming administration must be to get the nation and its people through the pandemic before addressing other concerns, including America's ballooning deficit or raising taxes.
-Right now, with interest rates at historic lows, the smartest thing we can do is act big- she told the Senate Finance Committee.
She made clear her No. 1 priority would be to provide relief for those in the greatest need — especially minority workers and women, who have been hit hardest by the downturn.
-The pandemic has caused widespread devastation- Yellen said in her testimony. -The damage has been sweeping, and ... our response must be, too.-With broad bipartisan support from Wall Street to Washington, Yellen was widely expected to be confirmed. The Senate Finance Committee on Friday approved her nomination unanimously, 26-0.
-It is hard to imagine a better prepared nominee to meet this great moment of need than Dr. Yellen- her Treasury secretary predecessors wrote in a letter backing her nomination.
She's no stranger to breaking barriers in positions of power. In 2014, she became the first woman to run the Federal Reserve, and she will be the first person ever to have led the three most powerful economic bodies in government: Treasury, the central bank, and the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
-Janet Yellen is brilliant and has a track record for being unflappable- Greg Valliere, chief US policy strategist at AGF Investments, said when her nomination made headlines in November. -She seems to be popular in all factions, from the financial markets to Main Street.-

As head of the Treasury, she'll be tasked with shepherding President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan through Congress and overseeing its execution

Yellen: Right now, with interest rates at historic lows, the smartest thing we can do is act big

Janet Yellen is confirmed as the first female Treasury secretary in US history

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, under pressure from Western governments suspicious it presents a security risk, is to open its first mobile network plant outside China in 2023 in eastern France, a director said Tuesday.
Work on the factory, which is to manufacture base stations, should begin this year, Huawei vice president and supervisory board member Catherine Chen told a video press conference.
The site "could produce the first mobile station sometime in 2023," she said, adding that the official decision to locate a manufacturing plant outside China represented "an historic date for Huawei".
Last month, the company said it would invest at least 200 million euros ($240 million) and create 300 jobs to start with at the "Huawei European Wireless Factory" in Brumath, near Strasbourg.
Located near the border with Germany, the site aims to produce 1.0 billion euros of mainly 5G equipment per year for the European market.
The Chinese group is under pressure both from accusations by the US that its mobile network equipment is a spying risk, and charges that it has assisted efforts by Beijing to monitor Uighur Muslims.
Huawei has rejected accusations that Beijing could access its equipment to snoop on voice and data traffic, but an increasing number of countries including France have restricted if not outright banned Huawei equipment from their 5G mobile networks.

The official decision to locate a manufacturing plant outside China represented "an historic date for Huawei"

Chen: Work on the factory, which is to manufacture base stations, should begin this year

Huawei to open French plant in 2023

Two Chinese miners who were dramatically rescued after being trapped underground for two weeks described on Tuesday their joy and relief at being free.
Eleven men out of a group of 22 were pulled out alive by rescue workers on Sunday after a January 10 mine blast in east China's Shandong province entombed them hundreds of metres underground. 
-I feel like I am reborn- one of the miners, surnamed Du, was quoted as saying by state broadcaster CGTN Tuesday, wearing pyjamas as he spoke to reporters from his hospital bed. 
-We had no food to eat for the first nine days- he added. -There are no words to describe the feeling (of being rescued). So relieved.-
Du was part of a group of 11 miners who first made managed to make contact with rescuers on January 17 by sending up a note though a long shaft drilled down into the rock.
They were then sent food and medicine and phones to communicate.
-We knew clearly how hard it was to drill that deep. We were trapped nearly 600 metres below ground. It was a daunting task- another survivor surnamed Wang told CGTN. -We are so happy.-
One of the first group died last week of head injuries sustained from the explosion, while a further nine workers found in a different part of the mine were confirmed dead on Monday, according to local officials. 
Rescue teams are searching for one further miner, who remains unaccounted for.
The survivors are currently all in "stable" condition and receiving hospital treatment, local officials said Monday.
-We comforted each other with encouraging words. That's how we pulled through- said Du from his hospital bed, adding that some of the group were "pessimistic, while others were hopeful."
Emergency workers had been battling difficult conditions, including high waters in parts of the mine, to drill several holes to reach the trapped miners. 
Another miner was found alive by rescuers as they attempted to reach the group of ten on Sunday. 
Both the local Communist Party secretary and the mayor have been sacked over the 30-hour delay and an official investigation is under way to determine the cause of the explosion.

Eleven men out of a group of 22 were pulled out alive by rescue workers

The survivors are currently all in "stable" condition and receiving hospital treatment

'I feel like I am reborn': Rescued Chinese miners speak of relief

Despite an estimated 1.44 million refugees in urgent need of resettlement globally, only 22,770 were resettled through UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, last year. This is according to annual statistics released by the UNHCR today.
These are the lowest refugee resettlement numbers the agency has witnessed in almost two decades. The drop stems from low quotas put forward by states, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed departures and programs.
-We can only hope that 2020 will be an extreme anomaly for refugee resettlement. We urgently call on governments to boost their programs this year, offer more places, expedite the processing of cases and help us save lives of those most in need and at greatest risk- said UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs.
-Last year was an extremely challenging one for people across the globe, but even more so for so many refugees who are already living on the margins, struggling to survive.-
Though the pandemic greatly impacted the numbers of refugees able to be resettled in 2020, UNHCR is encouraged by the fact that 20 countries still resumed their programs, processing and receiving refugees throughout the year. Many of these implemented innovative and flexible ways to process cases throughout the pandemic.
-We have seen that refugee resettlement can be managed, even during a global health emergency, as long as there are proper and adequate health and safety protocols in place- said Triggs.
The largest numbers of resettled refugees in 2020 originated from Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Myanmar.
With 85 percent of the 20.4 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate hosted in developing regions, resettlement is a tangible way in which states can better protect refugees, demonstrate solidarity and support host countries. Facilitated family reunions, as well as labor and education pathways, are other opportunities for refugees that countries can support.
These are key objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees, envisaged in a three-year resettlement and complementary pathways strategy launched by governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society and UNHCR.
-The fact is that as long as wars and conflict continue, displacement remains protracted, and the least-resourced countries are left with the extremely disproportionate burden of hosting the majority of the world’s refugees, we need other countries to step up- Triggs said.

The largest numbers of resettled refugees in 2020 originated from Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Myanmar

UNHCR: We urgently call on governments to boost their programs this year, offer more places

UNHCR calls on states to offer places and save refugees' lives

A tropical cyclone that hit central Mozambique this weekend has displaced thousands of people and caused severe flooding in an area battered by two deadly cyclones in 2019, response teams and aid agencies said.
Cyclone Eloise made landfall in the early hours of Saturday, bringing high-speed winds followed by torrential rain over the port city of Beira, capital of Mozambique's Sofala province, and the adjacent Buzi district. 
Almost 7,000 people have been displaced and over 5,000 houses destroyed or damaged in the area, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday, citing preliminary government figures.
National emergency response teams on Sunday confirmed six fatalities and 12 serious injuries -- numbers expected to rise as the scale of the damage is fully assessed in coming days.
-So many places are flooded already and it's getting worse- said Unicef Mozambique spokesman Daniel Timme, speaking to AFP from Beira.
-Rivers are collecting water and bringing it back to the Buzi River basin south of Beira- he said.
Timme said the cyclone had disproportionately affected the city's poorer neighbourhoods, where homes made of tarpaulin and corrugated iron were swept up by winds.
Hundreds have taken refuge in a school and were in urgent need of food, medicine and proper shelter, he added.
Eloise hit an area devastated by two successive super-storms in March and April 2019.
The first, Cyclone Idai, left more than 1,000 dead and caused damage estimated at around $2 billion (1.6 billion euros).
Timme said aid workers were scrambling to provide safe drinking water and avoid cholera, which broke out in temporary shelters across Beira around two weeks after Idai hit.
Unicef, the United Nations' children's agency, estimates that 176,000 people have been "severely affected" by Eloise, half of which are children.
Beira Mayor Daviz Simango said one of the victims was a two-year-old girl "whose house collapsed" while her parents were out.
-We call on people to observe the principle of resilience and better reconstruction- Simango told reporters on Sunday.
Around 142,000 hectares (350,000 acres) of farmland have been swamped, according to preliminary Unicef figures, as well as 26 health centres and 76 classrooms.
Eloise has weakened into an overland depression since its Mozambique landfall and moved south towards South Africa.
Heavy rainfall has caused flooding in the country's northern Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, as well as in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Almost 7,000 people have been displaced and over 5,000 houses destroyed or damaged

Stranded: Homes in the Buzi area of central Mozambique after Cyclone Eloise

Cyclone Eloise leaves hundreds homeless in Mozambique

Dubai restaurants have begun offering discounts to customers who have been inoculated against coronavirus, amid a vaccination drive as the emirate seeks to fight the pandemic without closing its doors.
The United Arab Emirates says it has already vaccinated some 2.5 million of its population of about 10 million, the second highest rate globally after Israel.
-Spread love, not Rona- say social media fliers for three restaurants run by Gates Hospitality, offerings a 10 percent discount to residents who have taken the first dose of a vaccine and 20 percent for those who have taken two. 
Diners must show proof of inoculation, such as a medical certificate, to get the discount. 
While some people welcomed the move, it raised eyebrows on social media.
-There's two ways to look at it, either it's another marketing stunt, or a genuine motivation to get more people vaccinated- said one tweet. 
The UAE, made up of seven emirates including Dubai, began mass inoculations in December after approving vaccines made by Chinese firm Sinopharm and US drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. 
Dubai's health authority said this week it would have to scale back on vaccinations after Pfizer announced shipment delays due to works at its key plant in Belgium. The Sinopharm vaccine is still freely available. 
Despite a sharp spike in cases since the New Year, Dubai is still open for tourism and restaurants and services are operating, although with rules on masking and distancing.
Over the weekend the guidelines were tightened, with the number of people allowed at social gatherings slashed from 200 to 10, and restaurants and cafes ordered to increase spacing between tables from two metres to three. 
The glitzy emirate has also suspended non-essential surgery in hospitals after a surge in Covid-19 infections. 
While other tourist destinations are applying tight restrictions to control the pandemic, Dubai reopened to visitors in July. 
On Sunday, the UAE announced 3,579 Covid-19 cases, a new high for the 13th consecutive day. It has so far recorded over 277,000 infections, including 792 deaths.

Diners must show proof of inoculation, such as a medical certificate, to get the discount

Reform Social & Grill in The Lakes is one of the restaurants offering discounts for those who have taken the Covid-19 vaccine

Dubai restaurants offer discounts for vaccinated diners

US President Joe Biden has held phone calls with four leaders since taking the oath of office on Jan. 20.
Biden held talks with America’s northern and southern neighbors on Friday.
His first call was to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Biden and Trudeau discussed a range of issues, including relations between the two countries, the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening economic ties, defense, climate change and the Keystone XL pipeline.
On the same day, Biden had a conversation with Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in which they discussed migration and promoting development in the Northern Triangle of Central America -- Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador -- besides combatting COVID-19.
On Saturday, the US president and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke over the phone, discussing climate change, containing COVID-19 and ensuring global health security.
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron became the fourth leader to hold phone talks with Biden. Two men discussed relations and cooperation, the White House said.
During the call, Biden expressed his desire to strengthen bilateral ties with France, according to a statement.
-President Biden also stressed his commitment to bolstering the transatlantic relationship, including through NATO and the United States’ partnership with the European Union- said the statement.
"The leaders agreed on the need for close coordination, including through multilateral organizations, in tackling common challenges such as climate change, COVID-19 and the global economic recovery," it said.
The leaders, the statement added, also agreed to work together on shared foreign policy priorities including China, the Middle East, Russia and the Sahel.

Joe Biden has phone calls with leaders of Canada, Mexico, UK and France so far

Biden's first call was to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

US president speaks to 4 leaders since assuming office

Nine more Chinese miners trapped underground for over two weeks have been confirmed dead, local government officials said Monday, leaving one unaccounted for after a blast at the site.
A group of 22 were trapped hundreds of metres underground by an explosion at the Hushan mine in eastern Shandong province on January 10, with some relying on food and medicine delivered through long shafts drilled by rescue teams.
Eleven survivors were finally brought to the surface on Sunday in a major breakthrough for a rescue operation that has captivated the nation. 
-From Sunday afternoon to this afternoon, rescue workers have not stopped searching, and found a further nine trapped miners who unfortunately all died- the mayor of Yantai city, Chen Fei, said at a briefing Monday.
-Along with one miner who died on Thursday, the bodies of the nine deceased miners were all lifted out of the mine.-
Rescue teams will not stop searching until the last remaining miner is found, Chen said, adding that high underground water levels in a section of the mine had complicated rescue operations.
The initial explosion occurred in the mine's ventilator shaft, causing a blockage that damaged the cable car.
Chen said that all nine miners had been killed by the impact of a secondary explosion in the mine on January 10 as they were trying to escape, judging from their positions.
Rescue operations sped up dramatically on Sunday as a blockage in the ventilator shaft was cleared.
Contact was first established a week ago with a group of 11 miners trapped in a section of the mine around 580 metres (1,900 feet) below the surface.
One of them was seriously injured in the initial explosion and died after falling into a coma.
Another miner was found alive by rescuers as they attempted to reach the group.
Mining accidents are common in China's dangerous and poorly regulated sector.

Eleven survivors were finally brought to the surface on Sunday in a major breakthrough for a rescue operation that has captivated the nation

A group of 22 were trapped hundreds of metres underground by the explosion on January 10, with some relying on food and medicine delivered through long shafts

Suspicious envelope found in Tunisia president's office

American Airlines posts record annual loss on pandemic pain

TikTok choking video incites suicide

Boeing 737 MAX safe to return to service in Europe, regulator says

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pope warns against new nationalism

YouTube suspends Trump indefinitely, stops Giuliani monetizing clips

Shops boarded up as Dutch brace for fourth night of coronavirus riots

Mozambique: 6 killed, 8,000 homes damaged in cyclone

Janet Yellen is confirmed as the first female Treasury secretary in US history

Huawei to open French plant in 2023

'I feel like I am reborn': Rescued Chinese miners speak of relief

UNHCR calls on states to offer places and save refugees' lives

Cyclone Eloise leaves hundreds homeless in Mozambique

Dubai restaurants offer discounts for vaccinated diners

US president speaks to 4 leaders since assuming office

Nine trapped Chinese miners confirmed dead, one still missing

World

Suspicious envelope found in Tunisia president's office

American Airlines posts record annual loss on pandemic pain

TikTok choking video incites suicide

Boeing 737 MAX safe to return to service in Europe, regulator says

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pope warns against new nationalism

YouTube suspends Trump indefinitely, stops Giuliani monetizing clips

Shops boarded up as Dutch brace for fourth night of coronavirus riots

Mozambique: 6 killed, 8,000 homes damaged in cyclone

Janet Yellen is confirmed as the first female Treasury secretary in US history

Huawei to open French plant in 2023

'I feel like I am reborn': Rescued Chinese miners speak of relief

UNHCR calls on states to offer places and save refugees' lives

Cyclone Eloise leaves hundreds homeless in Mozambique

Dubai restaurants offer discounts for vaccinated diners

US president speaks to 4 leaders since assuming office

Nine trapped Chinese miners confirmed dead, one still missing