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For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails The latest WhatsApp update will bring personalised avatars to the popular messaging app. Users on both Android and iOS devices will be able to create their 3D virtual characters and set them as their profile picture or share as one of 36 custom stickers. It is the first time WhatsApp’s parent company Meta has introduced the feature to WhatsApp, having already rolled it out to its other platforms Facebook and Instagram and Messenger. “We’re bringing avatars to WhatsApp,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. “Now you can use your avatar as a sticker in chats. More styles coming soon across all out apps.” Recommended Facebook parent company fined 265 million euro by Irish data watchdog WhatsApp provided more details about the new feature in a blog post on Wednesday, claiming … [Read more...] about WhatsApp update finally brings avatar feature to Android and iOS

A lifeboat crew in England has been praised for quickly responding to an emergency at sea, despite having to leave a wedding mid-ceremony to do so. Luke Gist and Jamie Dawkins, two lifeguards at Clovelly Lifeboat Station in Devon, in southwest England, were attending a relative's wedding on September 18 when they were sent an emergency signal. A woman had fallen over some rocks and was in grave danger, prompting a fast response by the crew at the wedding. A Facebook post showed two crew members wearing suits at the wedding, before changing into life jackets to help them perform the mission. "When the pagers go off, it doesn't matter whose wedding you're at. "Luckily these weren't the groom!" the post said. Describing what happened, Gist told Surrey Live: "Me and Jamie were attending my sister's wedding at Woolsery church where my son Noah was a page boy alongside his cousin. "We had a just watched them walk down the aisle and warming up our voices to the first Hymn 'All … [Read more...] about Lifeboat Crew Leaves Wedding Mid-Ceremony for Emergency Rescue

The town of McEwen was hit by intense flooding Saturday, along with the rest of Middle Tennessee, and shattered the state's rainfall record with 17.02 inches in 24 hours, the Associated Press reported. The state hadn't seen record-breaking rainfall since 1982, when 13.6 inches came down in 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service. McEwen, which is in Humphreys County, was issued a flash flood watch before the rain began, with weather forecasters expecting just four to six inches. Weather service meteorologist Krissy Hurley, in Nashville, said the worst storm the middle of the state had seen before Saturday produced nine inches of rain. "Forecasting almost a record is something we don't do very often," Hurley told AP. "Double the amount we've ever seen was almost unfathomable." The flooding in Tennessee has left at least 22 people dead as rescue crews searched Sunday for missing residents. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below. Rescue crews … [Read more...] about Tennessee Town Hit by Flooding Shatters Rainfall Record with 17 Inches

A bride and groom created a new tradition after shunning a conventional flower girl at their wedding, and having a hilarious "flower man" instead. As couples attempt to make their big day stand out from the crowd , Kyle and Nichole Drzewiecki may have achieved just that with their unusual choice for the wedding ceremony. The pair, both dog trainers from Arizona, tied the knot in a gorgeous ceremony in Burnet, Texas, which their friend, Morgan Starr, captured and shared on TikTok. Along with a highlight reel from the big day, Starr, who is also thought to be a dog trainer, filmed the aisle at the al fresco wedding as a man dressed in a floral suit jacket approaches. Sporting a slick pair of sunglasses, he stops just before the guests and dramatically swivels a fanny pack around, which matches his tie, as he undoes his jacket button. He proceeds to perform a few moves as he reaches into the bag and begins chucking flower petals on the floor, to the delight of the crowd. … [Read more...] about ‘Flower Man’ Steals the Show at Wedding As He Dances Down the Aisle

In what is being called a "dramatic" step, Austria has implemented a nationwide lockdown for its unvaccinated residents, the Associated Press reported. The lockdown mandates that unvaccinated citizens over age 12 should not leave their homes unless they are doing essential activities or getting their COVID-19 vaccination. Basic activities include working, going to school and grocery shopping. The mandate also applies to people who recently recovered from the virus. Police are able to fine those who violate the lockdown. If patrols find an unvaccinated person breaking the protocols of the lockdown, they can be fined up to 1,450 euros, or $1,660. "We really didn't take this step lightly and I don't think it should be talked down," Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said in a radio interview. "My aim is very clearly to get the unvaccinated to get themselves vaccinated and not to lock down the vaccinated. In the long term, the way out of this vicious circle we are in—and it … [Read more...] about Unvaccinated in Austria Go Under Lockdown, Face $1,660 Fine Per Violation

A woman in Spain has been made to regret her use of social media after a video posted to TikTok wound up getting her fired. According to local reports, the High Court of Justice of Castile and León ratified the dismissal of an unnamed female supermarket employee who lost her job after videos surfaced on TikTok of her dancing at a time when she was supposed to be off work with lower back pain. Social media screening is an increasingly common component of the recruitment process for companies in the U.S. According to a study by business services website The Manifest , 90 percent of recruiters consider social media output to be an important factor when considering an individual. The same research also revealed 79 percent of HR officials admit to having rejected a candidate due to their social media content. The need to keep things professional on the likes of Facebook , Twitter and TikTok has been further highlighted by this latest incident being reported out of Spain. … [Read more...] about Woman off work with back pain fired after posting dancing videos on TikTok

Albania’s ambassador to the United Kingdom has admitted that some of his countrymen are “pretending” to be victims of modern slavery in order to inroad their odds of being granted asylum and receiving better treatment. Speaking before the Home Affairs select committee on Wednesday, Albanian Ambassador Qirjako Qirko aknowledged that citizens from his country were trying to abuse the UK’s generous asylum system by claiming to be victims of modern slavery. “It seems that the people who are arriving here pretend to be victims of modern slavery,” the ambassador said in comments reported by the Daily Mail . Albanians spuriously claiming to be victims of modern slavery is nothing new , with reports from last year indicating that migrant marijuana growers would claim that they were being forced into the black market trade in order to avoid punishment. There has been a significant surge in illegal migration from Albania to the UK over the past year, however, with one UK … [Read more...] about Albanian Ambassador Admits Migrants Are Lying About Slavery Claims

Following a long battle, a French judge has approved plans to evict hundreds of migrants and demolish a large proportion of the notorious “Jungle” camp in the northern French port of Calais. Despondent locals have endured years of disruptions, protests, and even riots. Just last night gangs of migrants went on a “victory lap” of the town chanting “UK! UK!” (footage below) as it looked as if the demolition plans would be dropped. They were eventually dispersed with tear gas. Now, over a thousand migrants are certain to be evicted from the southern side of the camp. The northern side, meanwhile, containing shops, a mosque, and the new permanent accommodation built by the authorities, will be spared. “The order is applicable, except for common social areas,” a spokesman for the Pas-de-Calais prefect’s office told Reuters . “So it won’t be applicable to places such as schools, a theater and a legal office.” Hard left activists operating in the camp had fought the court … [Read more...] about Calais ‘Jungle’ Camp Demolition Approved After Migrants Go On ‘Victory’ Rampage