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Rare light aircraft crash in Beijing kills pilot, injures 13 people

A light aircraft crash into Beijing's tallest building on Friday killed ​the pilot and injured 13 people who were not on ‌board, the local government said following the unusual accident for the Chinese capital, where airspace is heavily restricted. Those injured are receiving medical treatment and authorities are ​investigating the incident, Chaoyang district government said in a statement ​on Saturday. "A single-engine, two-seat light sport aircraft collided with ⁠a high-rise building while flying near the East third ring road ​in Chaoyang, at 5:55pm (0955 GMT) on June 26," said the ​statement, which was posted on social media. "There was only one person on board, the pilot, who died," the statement added, without giving any further details of ​the possible cause of the crash. Damage to the facade of the ​skyscraper appeared to be limited to a hole caused by the loss of ‌two ⁠large glass panels. The gap had been temporarily boarded up as ...
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'I am a knight': Paris' last newspaper hawker gets top French award

Pakistan-born newspaper vendor Ali Akbar has been homeless, experienced extreme poverty and had been attacked. On Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron made Akbar, believed to be the last newspaper hawker in Paris, a knight in the national order of merit in recognition of his service to France. The French president praised Akbar's "incredible destiny", thanking the septuagenarian for arriving from Pakistan decades ago, selling newspapers for 50 years and carrying France in his heart. "Dear Ali, thank you for bringing political news to our terraces at the top of your lungs, for warming the hearts of the Flore, the Deux Magots, the Lipp brasserie," Macron said in his speech at the Elysee Palace, referring to some of the French capital's iconic cafes. "You are the accent of the 6th arrondissement. The voice of the French press," Macron told Akbar, who was surrounded by his family. Akbar, who is known for inventing sensational headlines, sells his wares round the upmarket streets of Saint-German-des-Pres where he has become a neighbourhood legend. French has "become your language", Macron told the slim, sharply dressed man. "You have learned to play with it, making it your own. You have carried, if I may say so, the world in your arms and France in your heart," Macron added. He praised Akbar as an example of integration which "makes our country stronger and prouder". "He is a magnificent example at a time when we so often hear bad news," Macron said. French President Emmanuel Macron (C-L), wearing sunglasses, poses with Akbar and his relatives after awarding the Chevalier of the French Order of Merit to Ali Akbar, who hawks newspapers around the streets of Saint-Germain-des-Pres in the French capital for 50 years, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on January 28, 2026.AFP "There are also many stories like Ali's, of women and men who fled poverty to choose a country of freedom." Akbar said he was "deeply moved" and already knew what he would shout on the streets of Paris in the coming days. "That's it, I'm a knight! I've made it!" he said at the Elysee. Akbar arrived in France, hoping to escape poverty and send back money to his family in Pakistan. He worked as a sailor then a dishwasher in a restaurant in the northern city of Rouen. Then in Paris he bumped into French humourist Georges Bernier who gave him the chance to sell his satirical newspapers Hara-Kiri and Charlie Hebdo. Akbar said last year he could not believe Macron wanted to give him France's top honour. "We often crossed paths when he was a student," he said at the time. Akbar, who receives a pension of 1,000 euros ($1,175) a month, still works each day. On average, he sells about 30 newspapers every day, compared to between 150 and 200 when he started. He says he has no plans to give up "entertaining people with my jokes" any time soon. "I'm going to continue selling newspapers," he said.

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