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Flying taxis could be with us sooner than you think as Dubai hopes to launch its "aerial ridesharing" service by 2026. United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum has announced the approval of the designs for new air taxi stations across the city. Renewing Dubai's commitment to the flying taxi programme, he said the services will start operating within three years' time - after first being touted in 2017. A promotional video, which was also tweeted out by the ruler, shows a six-rotor electric flying taxi made by Joby Aviation, which is headquartered in Santa Cruz, California.

Lloyd Devereux Richards, a full time attorney and father of three, spent 14 years pursuing his dream of writing a book, and the next 11 years hoping for the thriller to take off. It did not, until last week when his daughter posted a 16-second TikTok video with a simple message: "I'd love for him to get some sales." The book jumped to No. 1 on Amazon's Serial Killer Thrillers list. Her dad's response was: "I'm ready for a nap." The viral video, which details Mr Richards' long journey to finishing the novel, Stone Maidens, has garnered more than 40 million views. TikTok, a short-form video hosting platform, has helped fuel sales of hundreds of books in recent years, including through the hashtag #BookTok, which readers use to discuss their favourite authors and book picks. In 2021 alone, BookTok helped authors sell 20 million printed books, according to a New York Times report.

An independent commission looking into the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church said on Tuesday it had documented cases pointing to at least 4,815 victims. Set up by the Portuguese Episcopal Conference to examine abuse in recent decades, the commission added this was the tip of the iceberg. Presenting the report, the commission's president, child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht, described its objective as "giving voice to the silence" of victims. He paid tribute to the hundreds who contacted its staff to provide testimony. "They have a voice; they have a name," he said. In all, the commission documented 564 experiences of people who said they had been victims of abuse by priests or other Church officials. The exercise looked at cases dating back to 1950.

BBC News New Zealand has declared a state of emergency due to Cyclone Gabrielle, the third such alert in its history. The Minister for Emergency Management, Kieran McAnulty, signed the declaration into place Tuesday morning. It will apply to the Northland, Auckland, Tairawhiti, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Hawkes Bay regions and streamline the government's response to the disaster. At least 38,000 homes were without power on Tuesday morning. In New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, authorities earlier evacuated people from 50 homes around a 30m-high tower that was in danger of collapse, local media reported. Dozens of evacuation centres have also been set up in the city. Mr McAnulty described the storm as "an unprecedented weather event". He said the state of emergency will allow for federal co-ordination of a clean- up response and would provide additional resources to those who are affected. It also gives the government more power to respond to dangerous situations, including restricting travel. New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced a NZ$11.5m (£6m; US$7.3m) aid package on Monday.

Cold case officers have travelled to Thailand to speak with the husband and family of a woman found dead in the Yorkshire Dales almost 19 years ago. Walkers discovered the half-naked body of Lamduan Armitage, nee Seekanya, in a stream near Pen-y-ghent in 2004. For 15 years her identity was unknown until family in Thailand came forward and DNA proved it was their daughter. As well as her parents, police are hoping to speak to husband David Armitage who now lives in Thailand. North Yorkshire officers, who arrived in the country on Sunday, said being there was a crucial next step in their attempts to finally solve the case. Adam Harland, manager of the major investigation team's cold case review unit, said: "To understand Lamduan's life we need to speak to the people who knew her.

CNN — It’s time to face the music – Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise is coming to an end. A new trailer for the third and final film in the series debuted during the Super Bowl on Sunday, and dropped some clues as to how Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star-Lord is dealing with the loss – and return – of his beloved Gamora (Zoe Saldana). “I’m Star-Lord,” Pratt’s voice is heard saying in the opening of the trailer. “I formed the Guardians. Met a girl, fell in love. That girl died. But then she came back…”

The Philippines has accused China of shining a "military grade" laser light to scuttle a resupply mission to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. The laser glare temporarily blinded the crew of the Filipino coast guard boat, forcing it to retreat. The vessel was headed to a marooned navy vessel that Manila has used for years to claim the Second Thomas Shoal. China has in the past used water cannon and sirens to enforce its claim to much of the South China Sea. The incident, on 6 January, was only reported publicly on Monday. It was a "clear violation of Philippine sovereign rights" in waters that Manila refers to as the West Philippine Sea, the Filipino coastguard said in a statement. Aside from flashing laser light twice, the Chinese ship also made "dangerous manoeuvres" about 150 yards (137m) from the Filipino ship's starboard side, authorities said.

Cambodia's leader Hun Sen has shut down one of the country's last independent media outlets - just months before the country's election. VOD, or the Voice of Democracy, had published a story last week that "hurt" his government's reputation, Hun Sen said in a Facebook post on Sunday. He has refused to accept the group's apology - cancelling its licence on Monday. Advocates say VOD's loss is a major blow to the nation's limited press. Editors at the news organisation confirmed to the BBC that police had arrived at their Phnom Penh office on Monday morning with an order revoking their operating licence. Access to past stories on VOD's Khmer and English sites has also been blocked by some internet service providers, staff confirmed.

Some 46,000 homes have lost power as Cyclone Gabrielle lashes the north of New Zealand. Authorities have issued warnings of heavy rain and winds, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled. Some areas have declared a state of emergency, as Gabrielle nears the North Island. It comes weeks after Auckland and surrounding areas were hit by record rainfall that sparked floods and killed four people. "Extreme weather event has come on the back of extreme weather event," said New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who announced a NZ$11.5m (£6m; US$7.3m) aid package. "Things are likely to get worse before they get better."

Stay close to the wall. Move fast. Single file. Just a few at a time." The staccato instructions come from the Ukrainian army escort taking us to a military position in battle-scarred Bakhmut, a city once famed for its sparkling wines. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the eastern city "our fortress". Russian forces have spent the past six months trying to capture Bakhmut. Now they have intensified their onslaught - Ukraine believes - to tear it down ahead of the anniversary of the invasion. We follow orders, darting down an icy rubble-strewn street, with a clear blue sky overhead - ideal for Russian drones. Just after we cross the road, two Russian shells come slamming down behind us on the other side. We turn around to see black smoke rising and keep on running.

Night Ride may only be a short film, but it has a twisty plot, opening with its heroine, Ebba, accidentally stealing a tram and driving it through Norway's dark, snowy streets. She'd only clambered on to keep warm, but decides she's rather enjoying herself, and carries on collecting passengers as she heads home. One of them is a transgender woman, Ariel, who attracts the attention of two men sitting nearby. Things escalate pretty quickly and the men become aggressive. Their fellow passengers look on uncomfortably, doing nothing rather than risking getting involved.

The US has shot down another unidentified flying object in the fourth military operation of its kind this month. President Joe Biden ordered it to be downed near Lake Huron, close to the Canadian border, on Sunday afternoon. The object could have interfered with commercial air traffic as it was traveling at 20,000ft (6,100m), a Pentagon statement said. It was first detected above military sites in Montana on Saturday, it added. The object, which was not deemed a military threat, has been described by defence officials as an unmanned "octagonal structure" with strings attached to it. It was downed by a missile fired from an F-16 fighter jet at 14:42 local time (19:42 GMT). The incident raises further questions about the spate of high-altitude objects that have been shot down over North America this month.

The article goes on to say "However, they also found one to six cups of tea a day may actually cut the risk of dementia"

A court in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced seven soldiers to death for cowardice in the face of the enemy and murder. They were found to have fled advancing M23 rebels, retreating through the town of Sake where they killed two people by recklessly discharging their arms. Lawyers for the soldiers said they would appeal. Last November, three other soldiers were convicted of cowardice and sentenced to death. In DR Congo death sentences are commuted to life imprisonment. More about DR Congo

McDonald’s is to remove a “tasteless” poster after advertising its McCrispy next to a sign for a crematorium. The gaffe was spotted by motorists on the A39 in Cornwall. It was pulled so it would not cause distress. But it’s not the only sign or advert to pop up in a problematic location. Samantha Yule takes a look at some other funny examples . . .