US downs Chinese balloon, drawing a threat from China
Washington: The US military on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian aircraft and threatened repercussions. ?#BREAKING: Incredible HD footage of the Chinese surveillance balloon being shot down ?#MyrtleBeach l #SC […]
Margareta Magnusson: ‘Old people have to try to find something other than the future to be happy about’
Almost a decade ago, during a visit to see her children , Margareta Magnusson had a near-death experience. I died seven years ago, and it happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to be afraid,” she writes in her new book, The Swedish Art of Ageing Well. Her heart valve burst, she was rushed […]
Sri Lanka marks 75th Independence Day amid unprecedented economic woes
Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe attends the the country’s 75th Independence Day celebrations in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Reuters Colombo: Sri Lanka needs to rectify its “errors and failures” and review its strengths and gains as a nation, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday, as the country marked its 75th anniversary of independence at a critical […]
Adorable cat-shaped slices of delicious Japanese bread now become Disney cats for a limited time
Cat-shaped bread and Disney characters? Shut up and take my money! Cat-shaped bread is an idea we already love. I mean, who doesn’t want to eat slices of toast shaped like a cat’s head for breakfast every day? But now, for a limited time only, they’re made even better by drawing popular Disney cat faces on […]
Economic confrontation between US, China puts Europe in crossfire
Representational image. AFP Paris, France: The economic confrontation between the United States and China has put Europe in the crossfire, with Washington’s plan to boost green industries threatening to cause collateral damage to a key ally. The United States has adopted the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which contains $370 billion in sweeping investments, subsidies and […]
How the soaring ‘spy’ balloon could take already strained US-China ties to a new low
The sighting of a Chinese balloon in United States airspace has resulted in Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling off his high-stakes visit to Beijing for the time being. While the US alleges it is a “high-altitude surveillance” balloon, China has rejected the claims. In a statement late Friday (3 February), the Chinese foreign ministry […]
Chinese ‘surveillance’ balloon soars across US – this is why it hasn’t been shot down
A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon has sailed across the US, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly cancelled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing US-China tensions. Fuzzy videos have dotted social media as the “spy balloon” headed southeastward over Kansas and Missouri at 18,300 metres. It was spotted earlier over Montana, which is home […]
SailGP bosses reveal why Plymouth will not see the £10m sailing event return in 2023
The organisers of the SailGp races have revealed Plymouth failed in its bid to bring the spectacular event back to the city for a third year. They nevertheless said Britain’s Ocean City had staged two successful events and were hoping to return to the UK in future. Earlier this week, council leader Richard Bingley revealed […]
China balloon: Many questions about suspected spy in the sky
WASHINGTON (AP) — What in the world is that thing? A massive white orb sweeping across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is blowing up on social media. China insists it’s just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds. With only limited “self-steering” capabilities. […]
China balloon: Many questions about suspected spy in the sky
WASHINGTON – What in the world is that thing? A massive white orb sweeping across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is blowing up on social media. China insists it’s just an errant civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research that went off course due to winds. With only limited “self-steering” capabilities. However, […]
Chinese foreign ministry says US media, politicians used balloon incident ‘as pretext to smear China’
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. AP Beijing: China’s foreign ministry said Saturday that US media and politicians had taken advantage of allegations that China flew an espionage balloon over the northwest United States. The discovery of the balloon prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday to cancel a rare planned trip to […]
Another Chinese spy balloon spotted over Latin America: Pentagon
Washington: A Chinese spy balloon has been spotted over Latin America, the Pentagon said Friday, a day after a similar craft was seen in US skies, prompting the scrapping of a rare trip to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Pentagon said the first balloon was now heading eastwards over the central […]
World Cancer Day 2023: A way forward to better management of cancer this year!
Every year, India reports approximately a million new cases of cancer, two-thirds of which are found to be in an advanced stage, decreasing the patient’s chances of survival. India was also ranked third in the world by the 2020 WHO in terms of the number of new cases of cancer that were recorded each year, […]
US and China talk about better ties but things have only become worse
The US keeps saying it wants to set a “floor” under the relationship with China. Its recent moves against Beijing and new pressure from Congress make achieving that look increasingly unlikely. Two months after President Joe Biden met Xi Jinping in Bali with a promise to arrest a slide in ties, the world’s two biggest […]
China asks Japan to stop ‘right-wing’ provocations on East China Sea islands
Representative Image/ Twitter/ @RealSenkakus BEIJING: China has asked Japan to stop “right-wing forces” from provoking disputes over controversial islands in the East China Sea. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi discussed disputed islands in the East China Sea on Thursday, with both expressing concerns and Qin hoping Japan could stop […]
Jarencio officially back as UST head coach
It’s official. Pido Jarencio has returned as the head coach of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament. UST’s The Varsitarian reported in a Facebook post on Friday, February 3, that Jarencio met with the UST management and finalized the deal on the same day. The Varsitarian then […]
Starbucks misses sales, revenue estimates as China falters
Representational image. Reuters Beijing: Starbucks reported lower-than-expected sales in its fiscal first quarter, with COVID store shutdowns in China overshadowing stronger results elsewhere. Global same-store sales — or sales at stores open at least a year — were up 5% in the October-December period, but that was partly due to higher prices. Store transactions were […]
15 pub quiz questions to test your general knowledge – February 3
Friday is finally upon us, which means it’s time for the weekly pub quiz. You can’t beat a good quiz and every week we put together our own version to really test your knowledge. From music, TV and film questions, to history, geography and science – we’ve got something to suit everyone. We all love […]
Explained: Is China dumping its crisis-hit ally Pakistan?
Gwadar: Pakistan’s close ally and neighbour, China, has invested heavily in the country, building modern transportation networks, special economic zones and energy projects as part of its multi-billion-dollar project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The investments, however, overwhelmingly benefit China only. This has naturally sparked conflicts and resistance throughout Pakistan as Pakistanis grow increasingly discontent. […]
‘Don’t blame others for your own failures…’ Taliban to Pakistan on Peshawar mosque blast
Kabul, Afghanistan: The Taliban on Wednesday slammed the Pakistan Government for blaming Afghanistan for the Peshawar mosque blast. The Taliban’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi called on Pakistan to investigate the Peshawar attack rather than blame neighbouring Afghanistan for terror carnage. “Don’t blame others for your own failures,” said the Taliban. On January 30, a […]
Ray Dalio, Cathie Wood and the fate of the FOMO rally
The dramatic bout of bullishness on Wall Street on Thursday night, which helped the share price of Facebook’s owner, Meta, rocket 23 per cent higher and pushed the Nasdaq Composite up 3.25 per cent, caps an extraordinary start to the year for Wall Street. The Nasdaq is up 17.5 per cent, while the S&P 500 […]
Burger King Japan’s Cheeseburger Gelände – exceptional in taste, size and… paper napkins?
Burger King’s latest offering leaves Mr. Sato stunned not once, not twice but three times! If you’re looking for a fast food burger that comes in generous sizes in Japan, Burger King is probably your best bet. Time and time again, they’ve released burgers with an intimidating amount of meat sandwiched in them, and especially […]
Chill pervades China’s tech firms even as crackdown eases
HONG KONG (AP) — A grinding crackdown that wiped billions of dollars of value off Chinese technology companies is easing, but the once-freewheeling industry is bracing for much slower growth ahead. Analysts say China’s easing of restrictions on companies like e-commerce giant Alibaba and online games company Tencent and talk of support for the private […]
Chill pervades China’s tech firms even as crackdown eases
HONG KONG – A grinding crackdown that wiped billions of dollars of value off Chinese technology companies is easing, but the once-freewheeling industry is bracing for much slower growth ahead. Analysts say China’s easing of restrictions on companies like e-commerce giant Alibaba and online games company Tencent and talk of support for the private sector […]
Asian shares trade mixed ahead of US jobs report
Asian shares were trading mixed Friday ahead of a closely watched US jobs report that may affect global interest rates. Weaker than expected earnings reports from US technology companies, announced after Wall Street trading ended, pulled Chinese benchmarks lower. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.4 per cent in early trading to 27,515.13. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 […]
India, US keen to conclude $3 billion MQ-9B predator drone deal
Washington: India and the United States are keen for an early conclusion of the 30 MQ-9B predator armed drones deal at a cost of over $3 billion, which will help New Delhi strengthen its overall surveillance apparatus along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the Indian Ocean. In the works for more than five […]
China stocks gain as IPO reform boosts hopes for more new issuers
China stocks rose on Thursday as government steps to reform the initial public offering system bolstered hopes of more fund-raising by local companies, while Hong Kong shares were buoyed by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s dovish remarks. ** China’s blue-chip CSI 300 Index gained 0.06% by the end of the morning session, while the […]
Artifact for dummies: The new text-based AI
It has been just over four years since Instagram’s founders left the social media company and now, they are back with a new app. This week, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger announced the launch of Artifact, a personalised news feed app that relies on artificial intelligence in order to tackle the spread of misinformation online, according to […]