Wednesday, July 29

Blog

Joe Biden has pardoned Hunter on tax and gun charges – but how did the cases against the president’s son unfold? | US News
2Dec By Aditi PawarNo Comments
Business

Joe Biden has pardoned Hunter on tax and gun charges – but how did the cases against the president’s son unfold? | US News

President Joe Biden has issued a "full and unconditional" pardon for his son Hunter - just weeks before he was set to be sentenced.Hunter, 54, was convicted of three firearm charges in June, marking the first criminal prosecution of a sitting US president's child. Then, two months later, Hunter pleaded guilty to federal tax charges, having been due to stand trial on criminal charges of failing to pay $1.4m (£1.06m).In a statement via the White House, President Biden said "there has been an effort to break Hunter" with the criminal cases against him, adding "enough is enough".But how did the criminal cases against Hunter unfold? Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player ...
Read More
Russian, Syrian jets intensify bombing of Syria’s rebel-held northwest
2Dec By No Comments
World News

Russian, Syrian jets intensify bombing of Syria’s rebel-held northwest

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Reuters Anti-government fighters ride military vehicles as they drive along a road in the eastern part of Aleppo province. Photo: AREF TAMMAWI/AFP Russian and Syrian jets struck the rebel-held city of Idlib in northern Syria, military sources said, as President Bashar al-Assad vowed to crush insurgents who had swept into the city of Aleppo. Residents said one attack on the second day of raids hit a crowded residential area in the centre of Idlib, the largest city in a rebel enclave near the Turkish border where around four million people live in makeshift tents and dwellings. At least seven people were killed and dozens injured, according to rescuers at the scene. The Syrian army and its ally Russia say they target the hideouts of insurgent groups and deny att...
Read More
The battle for social media supremacy
2Dec By No Comments
World News

The battle for social media supremacy

Elon Musk, right, with Donald Trump on stage at a campaign rally ahead of the US presidential election in November. Photo: JIM WATSON / AFP X is out, Bluesky is in and Mastodon is for the birds - and the nerds. The fight for the top spot in an ever-evolving social media landscape is political. The social media landscape has shifted dramatically, with platforms like Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon growing quickly as alternatives to X (formerly Twitter), which has struggled since Elon Musk's acquisition two years ago. The Detail looks at the different platforms, who's in, who's out and who to follow, talking to two tech and social media experts - Dr Neil Curtis, an associate professor of media and communication at Auckland University, and independent tech specialist Allyn Robins. Curtis r...
Read More
‘Moana 2’ sails to a record $221 million opening as Hollywood celebrates a moviegoing feast – National
2Dec By Aditi PawarNo Comments
Entertainment, Movies

‘Moana 2’ sails to a record $221 million opening as Hollywood celebrates a moviegoing feast – National

NEW YORK (AP) — Christmas came early at the box office this year. “Moana 2” brought in a tidal wave of moviegoers over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, setting records with $221 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. That, combined with “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” made for an unprecedented weekend in cinemas and a confluence of blockbusters more like what’s often found in late December.Expectations were high for Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana 2,” but the film — originally planned as a series for Disney+ before it was redirected to the big screen — blew predictions out of the water. Its five-day opening set a new record for Thanksgiving moviegoing. (The previous best was $125 million for “Frozen 2” in its second week of release in 2019.) “Moana 2” added $165.3 million intern...
Read More
President Joe Biden issues pardon for his son Hunter | US News
2Dec By Aditi PawarNo Comments
Business

President Joe Biden issues pardon for his son Hunter | US News

President Joe Biden has issued a pardon for his son Hunter, who has been convicted of federal gun charges.In a statement released by the White House, the US president said: "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. "Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form."Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions."It is clear that Hunter was treated di...
Read More
US President Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter Biden
2Dec By No Comments
World News

US President Joe Biden pardons his son Hunter Biden

US President Joe Biden Photo: AFP / SAUL LOEB US President Joe Biden says he has pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of making false statements on a gun background check and illegally possessing a firearm and plead 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. The White House had said repeatedly that Biden would not pardon or commute the sentences of his son, a recovering drug addict who became a target of Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump. Hunter Biden, son of US Preside...
Read More
Following your senses in Oman: the beauty of the Frankincense trail
2Dec By No Comments
Life Style

Following your senses in Oman: the beauty of the Frankincense trail

Luban is harvested from the gnarled Boswellia Sacra tree, which grows in abundance in the sheltered Dhofar area. Using a special technique, with a knife called a Manqaf, a cut is made in the trunk, after which the sap slowly oozes out in tear-shaped droplets. Once it hardens, it is cut from the tree bark. At the height of the Frankincense Trail in the 4th century BC, it was one of the most precious commodities in the world – made immortal, of course, in the biblical story of the three wise men gifting it to baby Jesus. At the time, Dhofar’s ancient city of Sumhuram was a hub of activity with ships setting sail across the Arabian Sea, to trade the resin in the east, in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, and in the west, in Greece and Rome. Source link
Read More
World AIDS Day: Southeast Asia represents 10 pct of HIV global burden, says WHO
2Dec By No Comments
Health

World AIDS Day: Southeast Asia represents 10 pct of HIV global burden, says WHO

The Southeast Asia region, including India, has about 3.9 million people living with HIV (PLHIV), representing 10 per cent of the global burden, WHO`s Regional Director, South-East Asia, Saima Wazed, said ahead of World AIDS Day.  In the region, 78 per cent of PLHIV knew their status in 2023. While 66 per cent received lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, 64 per cent had suppressed viral load. Wazed informed that despite treatments, the region also has a high burden (80,000 children and adolescents aged 0-14) due to vertical transmission (mother-to-child); and about 53,000 infants are born with congenital syphilis. "These children are one too many as there are effective interventions to eliminate mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, labour, and childbirth," she said. "While ...
Read More
Georgia: Fourth night of clashes in Tbilisi amid reports protests are spreading | World News
2Dec By Aditi PawarNo Comments
Business

Georgia: Fourth night of clashes in Tbilisi amid reports protests are spreading | World News

Violence has broken out in Georgia for a fourth night in a row - with fireworks fired at police who hit back with tear gas and water cannon.The unrest - over the freezing of talks to join the EU - also appears to be spreading beyond the capital Tbilisi. People turned out again on Sunday evening on central Rustaveli Avenue, some wearing gas masks and others carrying Georgia and EU flags. Image: Police fired water cannon to drive back protesters. Pic: AP "I'm here for a very simple reason, to defend my European future and the democracy of my country," said protester Nikoloz Miruashvili.Twenty-seven protesters, 16 police and one media worker were taken to hospital after Saturday night's clashes, the interior ministry said on S...
Read More
Samoa Citizenship Bill: Divided opinions and calls for inclusions
2Dec By No Comments
World News

Samoa Citizenship Bill: Divided opinions and calls for inclusions

Members of New Zealand's Samoan Community, including those now eligible for citizenship came to Parliament to watch the bill pass its third reading. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins The Samoa Citizenship Bill officially passed in Parliament and has been enacted into law, creating a pathway for Samoans born between 1924 and 1948 to reclaim what they lost. The bill, which passed unanimously on 20 November, seeks to redress the impact of the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act 1982, which revoked the rights of many Samoans to New Zealand citizenship. While the passing of the bill has been hailed as "historic" and celebrated by many in the Samoan community, for others, its exclusion of descendants of those Samoans are to benefit from the law has ignited fierce debate. Under the new law, only those born...
Read More