|
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said on Sunday he had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of making false statements on a gun background check and illegally possessing a firearm and pled guilty to federal tax charges. "Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," he said in a statement released by the White House....more
HAWAII: Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has arrived in the US state of Hawaii for a two-day visit, drawing a furious reaction from China. The trip is being billed as a stopover as part of a Pacific tour, but comes amid long-running tensions between the US and China and growing concerns about the possibility of conflict over Taiwan. After arriving in Hawaii, Lai said war would have "no winners" and that "we have to fight together to prevent war"....more
NEW YORK: The deadliest place for women is home because a staggering 140 women and girls are killed every day by an intimate partner or family member, according to a report released by UN Women and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime. This translates to approximately 51,100 victims globally in 2023, a slight increase from the previous year....more
MELBOURNE: Australian lawmakers passed landmark rules to ban under 16s from social media on Thursday, approving one of the world's toughest crackdowns on popular sites like Facebook, Instagram and X. The bill has now passed both parliamentary chambers with bipartisan support, and social media firms will soon be expected to take "reasonable steps" to prevent young teens from having accounts. The firms -- who face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million) for failing to comply -- have described the laws as "vague", "problematic" and "rushed"....more
WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday said it had approved the possible sale of spare parts for F-16 fighter planes and radar systems to Taiwan, in a deal valued at $320 million. The proposed sale consists of equipment in existing US military stocks, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. "This proposed sale serves US national, economic and security interests by supporting the recipient's continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability," the DSCA said....more
WASHINGTON: The White House is working on a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza but is "not there yet," the US National Security Advisor told NBC on Sunday, with fighting in the conflict raging on as regional leaders meet to discuss the crisis. "We are working actively to try to make it happen. We are engaged deeply with the key players in the region, and there is activity even today," said Jake Sullivan, according to a transcript released by the broadcaster....more
 GURUGRAM: Liz Young of England won her second Ladies European Tour title as she took the US $ 400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open by one stroke at the DLF Golf and Country Club on Sunday. Never having missed the cut in eight previous visits, Young extended that streak to nine as she shot 72 and totalled 2-under 286 to win by one shot over four others who tied for second....more
BUSAN: The final round of United Nations-brokered talks aimed at tackling plastic pollution are opening in South Korea with deep divisions over the need to stem the rising flood of the material, a rift that threatens to scupper a two-year long quest for a deal. Plastic production will jump about 60% to 736 million tons a year by 2040, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, dramatically increasing volumes as research shows how toxic the materials are as they accumulate in the natural environment and in human bodies....more
BUDAPEST: Romania and Bulgaria are on track to become full members of the Schengen Area as early as January 2025, according to Hungarian officials. This development comes after years of partial inclusion for the two Balkan nations, which joined the European Union in 2007 but only gained limited access to the Schengen Area in March 2023....more
NEW YORK: A US woman was recently recognized by the "Rejuvenation Olympics" for achieving a slower ageing rate than billionaire Bryan Johnson, known for using his son's blood to maintain a youthful appearance. Julie Gibson Clark, a dedicated biohacking enthusiast, has managed to slow her ageing process by an impressive 34% compared to the average person. As the daughter of a NASA astronaut, Ms Clark has drawn on both discipline and innovation, sharing that her daily longevity routine costs just $12 a day....more
NEW YORK: Warren Buffett, philanthropist and multi-billionaire CEO of American multinational conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, has donated another $1.2 billion of his wealth to foundations, serving his 2006 pledge to steadily donate his $150 billion wealth during his lifetime and beyond. In his letter to the shareholders, the 94-year-old CEO reflected upon life and how "fickle" it can be, sharing his most detailed plan to donate his fortunes after his death....more
BANGKOK: Robin Sharma, in his bestseller "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari", wrote about a successful lawyer, Julian Mantle, who sold his worldly possessions to embrace a spiritual journey. While Mantle's story was fictional, Thai-Malaysian monk Ven Ajahn Siripanyo denounced a fortune worth billions in real life for spiritual servitude. The only son of Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan, Ven Ajahn Siripanyo gave up the world of riches and spoils to become a Buddhist monk. Krishnan, also known as AK, is Malaysia's third richest man and is worth more than US$5 billion (Rs 40,000 crore approx), according to a report by South China Morning Post....more
LONDON: A woman has reportedly admitted to accidentally discarding the hard drive containing access to her ex-boyfriend James Howells' lost Bitcoin fortune - now worth an astonishing Rs 5,900 crore (569 million pounds). Halfina Eddy-Evans, the mother of Howells' two teenage sons, told Daily Mail that nearly a decade ago, she took the hard drive to a landfill in Newport, Wales, as part of a cleanup at Howells' request....more
NEW YORK: YouTube released a statement from its former CEO Susan Wojcicki, three months after she died of lung cancer at age 56. The letter was written just weeks before her death. The time of the letter was planned to coincide with November as it is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. In the letter, Wojcicki shared the lessons she learned from the life-threatening disease. She highlighted how lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related death in women and said that she planned to use her time and resources fighting for cures for cancer....more
|
'Global Action Must Match Global Ambition': Modi At UN Summit
AI Has Potential to Rescue SDGs: UN Chief
US Supports Permanent Seat For India, Japan, Germany; Two From Africa In Expanded UN Security Council
