Blog

Timothee Chalamet, Paul Mescal, Dev Patel and Jason Momoa - do you look like someone famous? Photo: Liam Swiggs In late October, amidst the tensions of a looming election, the world witnessed the birth of a new kind of democratic event - the celebrity lookalike contest. It all began with the Timothee Chalamet event in New York, when a bunch of mop-haired, square-jawed lookalikes descended upon Washington Square Park, all for a small trophy, a $50 cash prize, and the knowledge they (vaguely) resemble a Hollywood star. The contest was a raging success; hundreds of onlookers stopped by, there were four arrests, and Chalamet himself even turned up to meet his doppelgangers. And since then, dozens of copycat lookalike contests have popped up around the world. In Dublin, mulleted men in short...

The driver followed Google Maps into taking the route, according to the Hindustan Times. Photo: Nikolas Kokovlis / NurPhoto via AFP Google said on Tuesday it was assisting Indian authorities probing the deaths of three men who reportedly drove off an incomplete bridge while following a route on Google Maps. The group was on their way to a wedding in northern India's Uttar Pradesh state when their car plunged into the Ramganga river from the unfinished bridge early on Sunday. The driver followed Google Maps into taking the route, the Hindustan Times newspaper said on Tuesday, quoting police officials. Police questioned an unnamed official from the navigation app, as well as others from the government public works department, the Press Trust of India news agency also reported. "Our deepes...

Rakon's revenue has been hit hard, offsetting gains made in the aerospace and defence markets. Photo: 123RF Semiconductor chipmaker Rakon has plunged into the red amid a global slowdown in the rollout of 5G networks. Key numbers for the six months ended September compared with a year ago: Net loss $10.4m vs $0.5m profit Revenue $41.7m vs $61.3m Underlying loss $7.3m vs $5.3m profit No dividend Chief executive Sinan Altug said the half-year period was "exceptionally tough", particularly in the telecommunications and positioning markets. "These markets continued to be affected by macroeconomic conditions that slowed investments in 5G mobile networks globally, and extended timeframes for customer inventory normalisation across both markets," he said. The company's revenue was also hit sh...

By David Goldman, CNN File photo. Donald Trump promised massive hikes in tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China starting on the first day of his administration. Photo: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / Getty Images via AFP Incoming US president Donald Trump promised massive hikes in tariffs on goods coming from Mexico, Canada and China starting on the first day of his administration, a policy that could sharply increase costs for American businesses and consumers. The move, Trump said, will be in retaliation for illegal immigration and "crime and drugs" coming across the border. "On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25 percent Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open...

By Asif Shahzad, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam and Charlotte Greenfield for Reuters Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has been in jail since August 2023. Photo: AFP Thousands of protesting supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan stormed the heavily guarded Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday, escalating their face-off with the government and its military backers for his release. At least six people, including four paramilitary soldiers, were killed during clashes between security forces and protesters, led by Khan's wife, who made it all the way to the edge of the city's highly fortified red zone, before being pushed back by hundreds of security force personnel. The red zone, being guarded by army soldiers, houses the country's most important offices and building...