News Headlines - 13 February 2019

▽Iran suicide bomber kills 27 in attack on border guards' bus | The Guardian

A suicide bomber targeted a bus carrying personnel affiliated to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday, killing 27 people and wounding 20 others.
A Sunni extremist group linked to al-Qaida and which operates in Pakistan reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred in the south-east of Iran.
The bombing happened on the day that a conference convened by the US in Warsaw was to include discussions on what Washington says is Iran’s malign influence across the wider Middle East. It also came two days after Iran marked the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and four decades of tense relations with the west.

▽Japan PM Abe demands apology for South Korean comments on Emperor Akihito - The Straits Times

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced a top South Korean lawmaker’s comments about the Japanese emperor as “extremely inappropriate,” ratcheting up already-high tensions between the two neighbours.
Abe told parliament Tuesday (Feb 12) that Japan asked South Korea to apologise for National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang’s remarks last week describing Emperor Akihito as “the son of the main culprit of war crimes.”

▽Trump supporter attacks BBC cameraman at El Paso rally - BBC News

Sporting a Make America Great Again cap, the man shoved and swore at the BBC's Ron Skeans and other news crews before being pulled away.
Mr Skeans said the "very hard shove" came from his blindside. "I didn't know what was going on."
Mr Trump saw the attack and confirmed Mr Skeans was well with a thumbs up after it happened.

▽NASA's history-making Mars rover Opportunity declared dead - CNET

On Wednesday, NASA announced its mission complete and with it, the rover's life officially over. The plucky robot roamed the Martian surface for approximately 5,515 Earth days, just over 15 years.
During a press conference, NASA said that Opportunity hadn't responded to a last-ditch effort Tuesday to establish contact. A planet-encircling dust storm cut off communications with Opportunity on June 10, 2018, preventing its solar panels from storing power. Since then, over 830 rescue commands had been beamed to the rover.

▽Daisuke Matsuzaka sustains freak injury during spring training

Daisuke Matsuzaka has dealt with numerous arm injuries during his career as a pitcher in Major League Baseball and Japan but none quite like this.
The Chunichi Dragons say Matsuzaka is experiencing pain in his right shoulder after an overzealous fan pulled his throwing arm during a fan event at spring training in Okinawa.
Matsuzaka was diagnosed with inflammation in his throwing arm as a result of the incident, and the Dragons on Tuesday told him not to throw for the time being.