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After 171 years of existence, telegram services were permanently stopped in Belgium as of yesterday. The service was launched in 1846, and about 9000 telegrams were sent across the country from January 2017 to November 2017. On December 12, Belgian telecommunication company Proximus, who provided telegram services in the country, announced they "will definitively end [our] telegram service" on December 29. Jack Hamande, board member of the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications, said, "It is mainly 10 customers using the

On Sunday, vice-president of World Chess Federation (FIDE) Israel Gelfer told Reuters that visas for seven Israeli chess players "will not be issued" for a chess tournament in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The 2017 King Salman Rapid and Blitz World Championships from December 26 to December 30 in Riyadh is to go ahead without any changes, the vice-president said. Spokesperson of the Saudi Arabian embassy in the US Fatimah Baeshen tweeted, "Related to the purported politicization of the International Chess Tournament hosted by Riyadh: the

Yesterday, at least four were killed and eleven were injured near the Slavyansky Bulvar Metro station in Moscow, Russia, after a bus ran down the steps at the entrance, officials stated. According to an emergency services source reported through state news media, fifteen were injured, and five died in the incident. The incident happened in an icy situation. The bus drove onto the pavement and down the steps leading to the station. The police reportedly arrested the driver. News agencies reported the driver was not under the influence of alcoho

On Monday, US-based tech company Apple, Inc. confirmed acquisition of UK-based song identification application Shazam. According to reports, the deal is worth US$400 million. "We are thrilled that Shazam and its talented team will be joining Apple [...] and we can't imagine a better home for Shazam to enable us to continue innovating and delivering magic for our users.", Shazam spokesperson Giovanni Bossio said. Shazam has over one hundred million users. Founded in West London in 1999 by Avery Wang, Chris Barton, Dhiraj Mukharjee, and Philip

Yesterday, German football club Borussia Dortmund (BVB) sacked manager Peter Bosz. They named Peter Stöger, former manager of FC Köln, Bosz's successor. After BVB parted ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of May, Bosz joined signed a two-year deal with BVB. In the 2016–17 season, 53-year-old Bosz led the Dutch capital club AFC Ajax to a second-place finish in the Dutch league Eredivisie, finishing just one point below Feyenoord Rotterdam, and won a silver medal in the UEFA Europa League, losing 2–0 against Manchester United. Dortmund were Bun

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Wikinews attends ComicCon in Bangalore, India}} Wikinews attended the Bangalore Comic Con comic-book convention on Saturday. Beginning on Saturday morning, it continued through to Sunday. Organised by Comic Con India, who organised Comic Con in Hyderabad in October and Mumbai in November, this event was held at Karnataka Trade Promotion Organisation (KTPO)'s convention hall. Wikinews spoke to convention guests Sailesh Gopalan and John Layman. Freelancer comic book artist and illustrator Scott Hampton, known for sketching Batma

On Monday, Italian football club AC Milan sacked manager Vincenzo Montella. Gennaro Gatusso, manager of AC Milan's youth team, was named as Manetella's successor. Monetella's team started this season with winning ten out of twelve fixtures in all competitions. However, in fourteen Italian Serie A league matches played so far, Monetella's men won just six matches, losing six and drawing two matches. Having spent £205 million in the summer transfer window, AC Milan has won just 20 points in Serie A. They are seventh in the league table, and eigh

On Thursday, an Italian court in Milan sentenced Brazilian footballer Robinho to a nine-year prison term for sexual assault. Robinho did not attend the hearing, but on his behalf, his lawyer pled not guilty. The 33-year-old Brazilian forward was accused of sexually assaulting an Albanian woman in a nightclub in Milan in January 2013. Robinho played at the time for Milanese club AC Milan. The victim, who was 22 year old in 2013, is to receive a compensation of €60 thousand (about US$70 thousand) from Robinho. Robinho's lawyer Marisa Alija said

On Tuesday, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe resigned, after ruling Zimbabwe for 37 years, in the wake of a military coup following his ouster of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and shortly after the start of an impeachment hearing against him. His letter of resignation was read in parliament and reports indicate the ruling ZANU–PF party is to appoint Mnangagwa in his place. Mugabe had been president since the Patriotic Front, predecessor of ZANU-PF, won elections against the white minority administration of the former Rhodesia in 1980; with

Charles Manson, whose "Manson family" followers killed nine people in 1969 and whose death sentence became nine life sentences after the state of California, United States, outlawed the death sentence, died on Sunday in a hospital in Bakersfield of natural causes, according to the California Department of Corrections. Manson inspired, but did not participate in, what became known as the Tate-LaBianca murders. On August 9, 1969, at the home of actress Sharon Tate and her husband, director Roman Polanski, followers of Manson stabbed five people

A train derailed on Sunday and fell into a ravine where it caught fire, according to Radio Okapi, in Buyofwe, Lualaba Province, southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. By varying reports 33 or more people were killed. The train, with cargo including tanks of flammable fuel, was traveling from the country's second-largest city of Lubumbashi to the town of Luena. After the thirteen-carriage train derailed and fell into the ravine, Associated Press reported, eleven carriages caught fire. Early on, the Minister of Mines, Jean-Marie Tshizainga,

On Monday, Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo formally announced his retirement from football. A 2006 FIFA World Cup winner with Italy, Pirlo had announced his intentions to end the 22-year-career last month, and his final professional game ended in a 2–0 win for New York City FC (NYCFC) against Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer play-offs at Yankee Stadium. "As my time in NYC FC comes to an end, I want to thank everybody for the kindness and support they have shown me in this incredible city", 38-year-old Pirlo wrote on Twitter. Last month, th