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PHOTOS: 10 Wonders Of The World And Countries To Find Them

Published

1 year ago

August 27, 2024

When you visit some countries, you will also want to enjoy the beautiful sight of the wonder sites they have. Of course, some countries possess some very monumental architectures that are awe-inspiring due to their natural or artificial ingenuity and originality—and, of course, their beautiful landscapes.

Below is a top-10 list of the greatest wonders in the world and the countries where they will be found.

The Great Barrier Reef (Australia)

The Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Queensland, is the biggest reef system in the world and is well-known for its crystal-clear water and visible coral formations from space. The Agincourt Reef lagoon is one of the best places on Earth to discover marine life and the beauty of nature, with its fragile ecosystem that is unmatched by any other place. It is also great for swimming and snorkeling. The Great Barrier Reef is the biggest coral reef system in the world, spanning over 2,300 kilometres over an area of over 344,400 square kilometres and made up of over 2,900 distinct reefs and 900 islands.

Mount Everest (Nepal)

One of the tallest and most famous mountains in the world, Mount Everest is situated on the boundary between Nepal and Tibet. The tectonic movements of the Indian and Asian plates are thought to have built the mountain range around 60 million years ago. This movement is responsible for the rocky summit’s annual growth of 0.25 inches. Several geographical reports have even confirmed Everest to be the tallest mountain in the world.

Taj Mahal (India)

With the help of 20,000 labourers, the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan constructed the Taj Mahal in remembrance of his adored wife, Mumtaj Mahal. The beautifully balanced structure which is one of the wonders of the world is situated on the Yamuna River’s banks among well-manicured gardens. Its marble facade is brilliant white throughout the day, reflecting rose and golden hues at sunrise and sunset. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum made of ivory and white marble located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on the Yamuna River’s right bank. In addition, Shah Jahan’s own tomb is located within this historic monument. The focal point of the 17-hectare (42-acre) compound is the tomb.

Victoria Fall (Zambia/Zimbabwe Boarder)

The Zambezi River’s Victoria Falls, which naturally divide Zambia and Zimbabwe, offer a breathtaking spectacle of breathtaking beauty and grandeur. The Kololo tribe that lived there referred to it as “Mosi-oa-Tunya,” or “The Smoke that Thunders,” because of the tremendous noise and spray that the rushing water produced. When considering both its width and height, Victoria Falls is presently regarded as the world’s largest water curtain.

Agra Fort (India)

You will be drawn to the Agra Fort’s exquisite sculptures and the pristine marbles that were employed in its construction. Agra Fort is a medieval fort located in India’s Agra city. Before Agra was replaced with Delhi as the capital in 1638, this served as the rulers of the Mughal Dynasty’s primary home. It is located roughly 2.5 kilometres northwest of the Taj Mahal, its more well-known sister monument. It would be more accurate to refer to the fort as a walled city.

Acropolis (Greece)

The most impressive and comprehensive ancient Greek colossal complex that is still standing today is the Acropolis in Athens. It is located on an average-height hill (156 meters) that rises within the Athens basin. Its overall measurements are roughly 170 by 350 meters. From 1834 onwards, the monuments have been gradually uncovered and returned to their original locations. Within the context of the Periclean building program, the principal visible monuments of the archaeological site were constructed in the second half of the 5th century B.C., during the Classical period.

Timbuktu (Mali)

A thriving trade route for ivory, gold, salt, and slaves passed through the enigmatic city of Timbuktu, which is a great wonder situated in Mali, West Africa, which is located close to the Niger River and the Sahara Desert. As the intellectual and spiritual centre of Islam, the Great Mosque, also known as the Djinguereber Mosque, is a significant venue for assembly and prayer today.

Effiel Tower (France)

Eiffel Tower, also known as la Tour Eiffel, is one of the wonders of the world, and represents the romanticism and inventiveness of the City of Light. It was intended to honour the anniversary of the French Revolution and showcase France’s contemporary economic might on the international scene as the focal point of the 1889 World’s Fair. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel constructed the Eiffel Tower in honour of the French Revolution’s 100th anniversary. The original drawing of the Eiffel Tower was created by two less well-known individuals, despite Gustave Eiffel being given credit for its creation. These individuals were Emile Nouguier and Maurice Koechlin. The two persons in question were the lead engineers at Eiffel’s engineering company.

Great Pyramid of Giza (Egypt)

With a history spanning nearly 5,000 years, the Egyptian pyramid is the sole surviving ancient wonder on the initial list. Enter one of the Royal Burial Chambers to view Cheops’s funerary boat. When you enter, you will marvel at the enormous statue known as the Great Sphinx of Giza, which was carved out of a single piece of stone. Of the three pyramids at Giza, the Great Pyramid is the biggest.

Great Wall of China (China)

One of the wonders of the world is the Great Wall of China, which is the longest man-made barrier in the world, spanning 20,000 km from the Yellow Sea in the east to the Gobi Desert in the west. It is up to 14 meters high and seven meters broad. Due to the enormous size of the old barrier, Qin Shihuang was able to keep out northern invaders by connecting walls from lesser kingdoms and building new portions with a workforce of up to a million people.

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Trump Threatens To Unleash ‘Hell’ On Hamas

Published

9 hours ago

October 4, 2025

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US President Donald Trump has given Hamas until 2200 GMT on Sunday to accept his 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, warning the Palestinian militant group faced “all hell” if it did not agree to the terms.

The US leader set the deadline — which would fall at 1:00 a.m. Monday in Gaza — after an official for the Islamist movement told AFP earlier on Friday that the group still needed time to study the proposal to end nearly two years of devastating war in the Palestinian territory.

“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

The proposal, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

That would be followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.

“Hamas is still continuing consultations regarding Trump’s plan… and has informed mediators that the consultations are ongoing and need some time,” the official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.

On Tuesday, Trump gave Hamas “three or four days” to accept his plan, which has been welcomed by world powers, including Arab and Muslim nations.

Mohammad Nazzal, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said in a statement Friday that the “plan has points of concern, and we will announce our position on it soon.”

As Hamas mulled Trump’s peace plan this week, a Palestinian source close to the group’s leadership told AFP on Wednesday that the Islamist movement wanted to amend some clauses, including the one on disarmament.

Hamas leaders also want “international guarantees” for a full Israeli withdrawal and that no assassination attempts would be made inside or outside Gaza, the source added.

Another source familiar with the negotiations told AFP that the group was split over Trump’s plan.

Structurally, the group’s leadership is divided between officials based in the Gaza Strip and those abroad, particularly in Qatar.

Much of Hamas’s leadership has also been wiped out in Israeli attacks throughout the war.

The source told AFP that “the first (opinion) supports unconditional approval, as the priority is a ceasefire under Trump’s guarantees, with mediators ensuring Israel implements the plan”.

“The second has serious reservations regarding key clauses… They favour conditional approval with clarifications reflecting Hamas’s and the resistance factions’ demands,” the source added.

Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said “ultimately it’s not just about convincing Hamas leadership in Doha, but also the leadership in Gaza, as well as Hamas members and fighters in Gaza.”

“Additionally, Hamas must then be able to convince other factions in Gaza,” he added.

The war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 66,288 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Their data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.

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Israeli Forces Strike Gaza Despite Trump’s Ceasefire Call

Published

9 hours ago

October 4, 2025

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Gaza’s civil defence agency said Saturday that Israel carried out dozens of attacks on Gaza City despite US President Donald Trump’s appeal to end bombardments after Hamas accepted a ceasefire deal.

“It was a very violent night, during which the (Israeli army) carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City and other areas in the Strip, despite President Trump’s call to halt the bombing,” civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Bassal, whose agency is a rescue force which operates under Hamas authority, added that 20 homes were destroyed in the overnight bombardments.

“The situation is very serious in Gaza City,” Bassal said, adding that his teams were not able to reach all the casualties due to the “presence of tanks and the ongoing bombardment”.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was “checking” reports of overnight bombardments on Gaza City.

Gaza City’s Baptist Hospital said in a statement that it received casualties from a strike on a home in Tuffah neighbourhood, including four dead and “several wounded”.

Nasser Hospital in south Gaza’s Khan Yunis said two children were killed and eight people were wounded in a drone strike on a tent in a camp for displaced Gazans.

The peace plan for Gaza, presented by Trump this week and backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages within 72 hours, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Hamas said on Friday it was ready to release hostages held in Gaza under the Trump plan, but wanted negotiations on the details and a say in the future of the Palestinian territory.

AFP

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Prosecutors Seek 11-year Sentence For Diddy, Citing ‘Lack Of Remorse’

Published

22 hours ago

October 3, 2025

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Prosecutors urged a federal judge Friday to sentence Sean “Diddy” Combs to more than a decade behind bars for his conviction on two prostitution-related counts, saying the music mogul had shown a lack of remorse.

“This is not a person who has accepted responsibility,” prosecutor Christy Slavik told the New York court at Diddy’s sentencing hearing.

“His remorse was qualified. It’s as though he thinks the law doesn’t apply to him,” Slavik said in arguing for an 11-year prison sentence for the 55-year-old hip-hop innovator. ” “His respect for the law is just lip service.”

Combs’s lawyers have asked the judge for a 14-month sentence, which would effectively be time served.

Slavik said Combs had booked speaking engagements in Miami next week in anticipation of a light sentence, which she called “the height of hubris.”

Judge Arun Subramanian for his part said federal sentencing guidelines suggested a prison term of between six and seven years although he has the latitude to impose more or less.

The judge also noted an apparent lack of remorse, saying Combs has “challenged his factual guilt full-throatedly.”

Combs was expected to address the court at the sentencing hearing after submitting a letter to the judge on Thursday pleading for mercy and saying he had “lost my way.”

Following two months of often searing testimony, jurors in July rejected the most serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering against Combs, sparing him the prospect of life in prison.

Combs’s mother and six of his children were in court on Friday and have submitted letters to the judge in his support.

In his plea to the judge, Combs apologised for his conduct, saying he was “scared to death” to be away from his family and vowing he “will never commit a crime again.”

“I lost my way,” he wrote. “I got lost in my journey. Lost in the drugs and the excess.”

Combs’s former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, asked the judge in a letter of her own to consider “the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control.”

– ‘Humbled and broken’ –

Ventura, the 39-year-old singer known as Cassie, testified for days while heavily pregnant.

She described in wrenching detail physical, emotional and sexual abuse she suffered while in a more than decade-long relationship with Combs.

Ventura and another woman, identified as Jane, said they were coerced into performing so-called “freak-offs”: sexual marathons with hired men that Combs directed and sometimes filmed.

“The entire courtroom watched actual footage of Combs kicking and beating me as I tried to run away from a freak off in 2016,” Ventura wrote.

“People watched this footage dozens of times, seeing my body thrown to the ground, my hands over my head, curled into a fetal position to shield me from the worst blows,” she said, noting she has nightmares and flashbacks “on a regular, everyday basis.”

Ventura said she and her family had left the New York area for fear of “retribution” from Combs if he is released.

The defense didn’t deny Combs’s sexual activity but insisted it was consensual.

They also didn’t deny Combs’s years of violence against both romantic partners as well as employees — but they said it didn’t meet the legal threshold for the grave charges he faced.

Jurors took their side.

The conviction on lesser if still serious counts stemmed from a federal statute that makes it illegal to transport people across state lines for prostitution.

Combs has been incarcerated in Brooklyn for more than a year.

He said his time in prison has left him “reborn.”

“I have been humbled and broken to my core,” Combs wrote.
AFP