Entertainment3 min readAI

China Fireworks Blast Kills a Dozen; Storms, Lent Mark Week

Twelve people died in a fireworks explosion at a shop in eastern China on Wednesday, according to Sky News, as the country celebrated the Lunar New Year. The incident occurred in the town of Xiangyang, in central Hubei province, where emergency services responded to a fire that engulfed a 50 square meter area.

The explosion, reported by the official Xinhua News Agency, highlights the dangers associated with fireworks, which are widely used during Lunar New Year celebrations in China. Sky News noted that firework-related blasts are not uncommon in the country. The blaze was reported on Wednesday afternoon, according to CCTV.

Meanwhile, in France, four departments remained on red alert due to Storm Pedro, Euronews reported. The storm brought persistent winds of 100 kilometers per hour or more, with potential gusts reaching 140 kmh. The affected areas included Charente-Maritime, Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, and Maine-et-Loire, with nine other departments under orange alert for rain and flooding.

Elsewhere, millions of Filipinos observed Ash Wednesday, marking the start of Lent, according to Euronews. The predominantly Christian nation saw people lining up to receive an ash cross on their foreheads, a ritual held in churches and open spaces. The ashes come from palm branches blessed on Palm Sunday the year before.

In other news, Benoît Richaud, the Olympic choreographer, gained attention at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games for his unique approach to coaching figure skaters. Wired reported that Richaud coaches 16 figure skaters from 13 different countries and changes his jacket to match the team of the skater he is coaching. His actions quickly went viral, with viewers noticing his omnipresence.

Finally, a piece from MIT Technology Review explored the human inclination to forecast the future. The article noted that humans have always tried to predict the future, from using tea leaves to analyzing data sets.

AI-Assisted Journalism

Synthesized from multiple sources. Reviewed for accuracy.

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