Tuesday, March 10

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Ukraine war: Thousands of North Korean troops near Ukraine border will enter battle ‘within days’, says Blinken | World News
Business

Ukraine war: Thousands of North Korean troops near Ukraine border will enter battle ‘within days’, says Blinken | World News

Thousands of North Korean soldiers are now positioned near Ukraine's border and likely to enter combat in the coming days, the US says.Russian troops have been training them in artillery, drones and "basic infantry operations, including trench clearing", said US secretary of state Antony Blinken. He said it strongly indicated they would be used on the front line and would therefore become legitimate targets for Ukraine.Some 10,000 North Korean troops are in Russia, including up to 8,000 in the Kursk border region, Mr Blinken said.The troops are wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian gear, according to US defence secretary Lloyd Austin. Read more: Where have North Korea troops been seen in Russia?"We've not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we wou...
Russia fines Google $20,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000
World News

Russia fines Google $20,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000

Russia is seeking around to US$20 decillion from Google in fines and interest. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via CNN Newsource By Hanna Ziady and Anna Chernova, CNN Russia is seeking an unfathomable sum of money from one of the world's biggest tech companies. Google reportedly owes the Kremlin more than 2 undecillion rubles - a 2 followed by 36 zeroes - after refusing to pay fines that are now accruing for blocking pro-Russian channels on YouTube. The virtually unpronounceable penalty amounts to US$20 decillion - or around US$20 billion trillion trillion (NZ$34 decillion). That dwarfs the size of the global economy. At US$110 trillion, according to International Monetary Fund figures, world gross domestic product looks modest in comparison. Google parent Alphabet, meanwhile, has a...
‘No one came to rescue us’: In this destroyed Spanish town, people are angry | World News
Business

‘No one came to rescue us’: In this destroyed Spanish town, people are angry | World News

In the Spanish town of Algemesi, people are angry.The suburb of Raval was one of the worst hit by flash flooding but residents feel abandoned. At least 158 people have been killed in the disaster in eastern Spain - with the worst of the flooding concentrated around the Valencia region.Spain floods latest: Looting breaks out as flood deaths surpass 150 "When the alert came the water was already two metres high," Carolina shouts from her balcony. "There were no police, firefighters or the mayor. No one came to rescue us." The distress is echoed street after street.Carmen puts her head in her hands and weeps."They have lost everything," she says, pointing at her neighbours' houses.Read more: 'People were crying, they were trapped'Utterly random damage in town where...
Adele, Céline Dion share emotional, tearful hug during Las Vegas show
Entertainment, Movies

Adele, Céline Dion share emotional, tearful hug during Las Vegas show

Descrease article font size Increase article font size It was a meeting of two divas on Saturday night during Adele’s concert at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. While singing her song Easy on Me, Adele appeared to scan the audience and spotted Canadian chanteuse Céline Dion among the audience members, according to a TikTok recording at the show.Adele approached her for a hug, and as the two embraced, the tears started to fall.As the pair separated, Dion dabbed at her own tears and wiped away Adele’s from her face.“One of my favourite people of all time,” proclaimed Adele as she returned to the stage, asking the audience to help her finish the song as she composed herself. Dion stood up and took a bow to thunderous applause from o...
Chinese online retailer Temu to be investigated over concerns about illegal products
World News

Chinese online retailer Temu to be investigated over concerns about illegal products

By Raziye Akkoc, AFP Chinese online retailer Temu will be investigated over concerns the site is doing too little to stop the sale of illegal products. File photo Photo: Nicole Serrano Chinese online retailer Temu will be investigated over concerns the site is doing too little to stop the sale of illegal products, in an investigation that could lead to large fines. Extremely popular in the European Union despite having entered the continent's market only last year, Temu has on average around 92 million monthly active users in the bloc. The investigation will also look at dangers from the platform's use of gamification and "potentially addictive design" that could hurt users' "physical and mental well-being," said the European Commission, the EU's powerful digital watchdog. Read more:...
‘People were crying, they were trapped’: Spain reels from deadly flash floods | World News
Business

‘People were crying, they were trapped’: Spain reels from deadly flash floods | World News

Emergency responders are searching for bodies inside stranded cars and buildings following deadly flash floods in Spain that have killed at least 158 people.Scenes of destruction have been left in the wake of the powerful floodwaters which hit the east of the country late on Tuesday and early Wednesday, marking Spain's worst natural disaster this century. Cars have been piled high on top of each other, homes and businesses have been swept away, trees have been uprooted, and roads and bridges have been left unrecognisable.Spain flooding latest: Looting breaks out as flood deaths rise Image: Damaged cars along a road on the outskirts of Valencia. Pic: Reuters At least 92 people have died in the worst-hit region of Valencia, w...
Death toll in Spain flash floods continues to rise
World News

Death toll in Spain flash floods continues to rise

By David Latona, Reuters People push shopping carts along a street covered in mud after flash floods ravaged Paiporta, in Valencia. Photo: JOSE JORDAN/AFP Rescue teams discovered the bodies of eight people who had been trapped in a garage after devastating flash floods hit eastern Spain, as the death toll in the Valencia region alone climbed to 155. Local authorities have not disclosed how many people are still unaccounted for after Europe's deadliest floods in years and Defence Minister Margarita Robles said the final national death toll could be much greater. Opposition politicians accused the central government in Madrid of acting too slowly to warn residents and send in rescue teams, prompting the Interior Ministry to say regional authorities were responsible for civil protection...
US confirms H5N1 bird flu in swine for first time
Health

US confirms H5N1 bird flu in swine for first time

H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in a pig in the United States for the first time, said the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The farm has been quarantined to prevent further spread of the virus. Other animals on the farm, including sheep and goats, remain under surveillance, the USDA said on Wednesday. The Oregon Department of Agriculture said last Friday that the first H5N1 case was detected in a pig at a farm in the state, reports Xinhua news agency. USDA`s National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed Tuesday that one of the farm`s five pigs was infected with H5N1, the first detection of H5N1 in swine in the United States. The farm is a non-commercial operation, and the animals were not intended for the commercial food supply. "There is no concern about the safety of the ...
Empty streets in Shanghai after police ‘arrest people in Halloween costumes’ | World News
Business

Empty streets in Shanghai after police ‘arrest people in Halloween costumes’ | World News

Young people in Shanghai were bracing themselves for a big party on Halloween night, but a police crackdown on costumes has left China's most international city with rain-sodden empty streets.In a four-hour walk around the bar and nightclub area of Shanghai, we saw two people in Halloween costumes. They told us they had registered their outfits with the police. The police were the only ones out in force, with half a dozen officers on every corner ensuring the streets stayed quiet with no raucous revellers.This all kicked off last weekend when Halloween fans started wearing their costumes out, including a couple of Spidermen, a Buddha, and a fake policeman.According to social media footage that appeared on Chinese sites and then X, the real police then bundled the partygoers away and ordere...
Kamala Harris struggles to secure men’s support in labour unions
World News

Kamala Harris struggles to secure men’s support in labour unions

By Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose for Reuters Union workers applaud at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada on 18 October for US Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen one day after she debated her opponent, Nevada Republican US Senate candidate Sam Brown. Photo: ETHAN MILLER / Getty Images via AFP With the US election days away, Vice President Kamala Harris is struggling to secure the support of male volunteers in some labour unions whose phone calls and house visits are needed to get Democratic supporters out to vote, senior labour officials said. Most unions have long supported Democratic candidates, and both Harris and President Joe Biden have backed unions in contract negotiations and championed workers' rights. But Republican candidate Donald Trump, who was president from 2017-2021...