Internet giants Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent joined forces this week to combat online trading in wildlife parts, an illicit practice that continues on e-commerce and social media platforms. Internet giants Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent joined forces this week to combat online trading in wildlife parts, an illicit practice that continues on e-commerce and social media platforms. Internet giants Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent joined forces this week to combat online trading in wildlife parts, an illicit practice that continues on e-commerce and social media platforms.
Author: MAK Gojar
Foreign Minister Wang Yi has used the Chinese saying “commitments must be honored” in urging Seoul to make sustained efforts to tackle the issue of deployment of a US anti-missile system in the Republic of Korea. Foreign Minister Wang Yi has used the Chinese saying “commitments must be honored” in urging Seoul to make sustained efforts to tackle the issue of deployment of a US anti-missile system in the Republic of Korea. Foreign Minister Wang Yi has used the Chinese saying “commitments must be honored” in urging Seoul to make sustained efforts to tackle the issue of deployment of a US…
Students from top Chinese universities said they have deepened their patriotism and sense of duty after listening to lectures delivered by senior officials about the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Students from top Chinese universities said they have deepened their patriotism and sense of duty after listening to lectures delivered by senior officials about the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Students from top Chinese universities said they have deepened their patriotism and sense of duty after listening to lectures delivered by senior officials about the spirit of…
Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up SenseTime Group, valued at more than $2 billion, is planning an IPO and aims to open a US research and development center as early as next year, its founder told Reuters. Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up SenseTime Group, valued at more than $2 billion, is planning an IPO and aims to open a US research and development center as early as next year, its founder told Reuters. Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up SenseTime Group, valued at more than $2 billion, is planning an IPO and aims to open a US research and development center as early…
A woman who was paralysed as a result of an illness has described how “everybody cried” when she was able to take her first steps following a pioneering treatment. Claire Trivedi received a type of spinal cord stimulation during a small clinical trial which enabled her to take a few steps using a walker. The 48-year-old from London was paralysed from the waist down in 2017 when a group of abnormal blood vessels in her spinal cord burst. The mother of two is one of 10 spinal cord injury patients who took part in a study assessing new stimulation technology. While…
More than 21,000 pupils in Ukraine are being given access to laptops to help them study thanks to Sarah Brown’s education charity. As the country marks the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, Theirworld is delivering 500 laptops to schools, which will be used by 21,600 senior pupils to sit their national multi-subject test (NMT) – to make university education a possibility. Campaigners hope it will allow the country to rebuild, with pupils currently forced to log on in underground shelters due to displacement and the threat of shelling. Theirworld warned higher education could become a “forgotten casualty of war”,…
The new government led by Fianna Fáil was rocked last month over coalition deal-making, but now faces a serious row over its house-building numbers. Many analysts say that government policies are failing to ensure the delivery of adequate numbers of new homes, despite a booming economy that helps to generate unprecedented levels of public spending. The latest controversy involves a blatant claim by the former housing minister, Fianna Fáil’s Darragh O’Brien. Just weeks before November’s election, O’Brien had told the Dáil that the government was on track to oversee the completion of up to 40,000 new homes for the year.…
China and ASEAN member states proposed an initiative to enhance media cooperation for a closer community of shared future at a meeting of information officials on Wednesday. China and ASEAN member states proposed an initiative to enhance media cooperation for a closer community of shared future at a meeting of information officials on Wednesday. China and ASEAN member states proposed an initiative to enhance media cooperation for a closer community of shared future at a meeting of information officials on Wednesday.
As many as two in three hospitality businesses in the north fear they will be forced to reduce their employment levels, risking job losses and lost income for workers come April. And they are again urging the government to delay employer changes to the employers’ national insurance threshold so that hospitality can continue to boost the economy. Trade associations Hospitality Ulster, The British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping, and UKHospitality have united to highlight the strong record the sector has in delivering economic growth, with hospitality one of the top contributors to GDP growth in November…
Thousands of veterans and their family members will be able to access an expanded careers support service, the Ministry of Defence has said. The MoD said its careers advice service, Operation Ascend, would be expanded to support all veterans “regardless of when they left service”. The department added that the service would offer a “broader range of job support” and work with industry bodies to “make sure businesses are set up to make the most of the talents veterans have to offer”. It will also be aligned more closely with the MoD’s career transition partnership resettlement programme which helps those…
“We had Brian in last week and there were things in there that the players definitely picked up on.”
Labour needs to talk plainly on the doorstep and reclaim its title as the party of working people to counter the looming threat of Reform in Wales, Carwyn Jones has said. The former Labour first minister of Wales also told the PA news agency he wants to use his new position in the House of Lords – he was sworn in as Lord Jones of Penybont in January – to be a “voice for Wales” and a proponent for devolution in Parliament’s upper chamber. As Reform UK has risen in the opinion polls, Wales-specific polling has suggested the party could…
Sixties fashion model Twiggy has said she was “shocked” after mistaking a letter notifying her of her damehood for a tax notice. The 75-year-old, whose real name is Dame Lesley Lawson, was appointed a dame in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to fashion, the arts and charity, and will see an eponymously titled film of her life released next month. Speaking to Saga Magazine, Twiggy said: “I was so shocked when it happened. I got this official letter and thought, ‘oh my God, it’s a tax letter’. “Then I opened it and it was written in a kind…
One month into Donald Trump’s second term, not a lot of people can follow Kamala Harris at the NAACP Image Awards, but Dave Chappelle can and did Saturday night. Receiving the President’s Award during Saturday’s 56th NAACP Image Awards not long after the former Vice President was given the Chairman’s Award, the 2019 Mark Twain […]One month into Donald Trump’s second term, not a lot of people can follow Kamala Harris at the NAACP Image Awards, but Dave Chappelle can and did Saturday night. Receiving the President’s Award during Saturday’s 56th NAACP Image Awards not long after the former Vice…
Waspi campaigners have threatened the Government with legal action unless it reconsiders the decision to reject compensation for millions of women affected by changes to the state pension age. A watchdog recommended that compensation be paid to women born in the 1950s whose state pension age was raised to be equal with men, but Sir Keir Starmer said taxpayers can not afford what could be a £10.5 billion package. The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign has sent a “letter before action” to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), warning of High Court proceedings if the issue is…
THOUSANDS of pharmacies in Northern Ireland are facing “a financial cliff-edge” over National Insurance living wage increases. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) warn that from April, pharmacies could face at least £10m of unplanned costs and risk cutting services or being forced to close altogether without “urgent” government intervention. The NPA add that many pharmacies are reporting bills of tens of thousands of pounds which are unfunded, as well as managing funding freezes, which are leading to a number of closures. Other pressures pushing up costs include increased business rates. Unlike other businesses, the NPA say, pharmacies are unable to…
A father living with motor neurone disease (MND) who took his fight for choice at the end of life to the High Court has appealed to MPs to change the “antiquated, out-of-date and frankly cruel” law which currently criminalises assisted dying. Phil Newby, 54, from Rutland in the East Midlands, said a legal assisted dying service would likely be in place too late for him but, six years on from his efforts to bring change through the courts, told how he would be “delighted” and find it “really satisfying” for Parliament to reform the law. The former environmental consultant and…
The boss of Vue has hailed an “extraordinary” Christmas for UK cinemas but warned it remains in “recovery mode” after Hollywood strikes slimmed down the number of films slated for release. Wicked and Gladiator II were popular titles that helped deliver a boost to the sector. Tim Richards, the founder and chief executive of Vue, told the PA news agency that UK cinemas enjoyed “one of the biggest Decembers in history,” helped by bookings for family films like Mufasa: The Lion King and Moana 2. This has continued into 2025 with the release of the fourth Bridget Jones film, which…
People planning to book holidays online are being urged to use caution after the PSNI revealed more than £100,000 was lost to fraudsters last year. Seventy-four reports of holiday fraud were made to police in the north in 2024, with victims left a total of £105,553 out of pocket. The figure is a drop from 2023, when 89 reports were made and victims reported a total loss of £155,245. Police have warned that online criminals will take advantage of people seeking the best holiday deals, and have called on those planning vacations to do their research. The Scamwise NI partnership…
Scotland’s First Minister has said he stands as part of a “united front” in support of Ukraine’s independence on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion. John Swinney will attend a ceremony on Monday at Scotland’s National War Memorial in Edinburgh to honour those who have died since the war broke out. Speaking ahead of the event, the First Minister spoke of his support for Ukrainian sovereignty amid uncertainty in the peace process caused by the US speaking directly to Russia about a deal to end the war without inviting representatives from Kyiv. US President Donald Trump would later described…