World News

By Nadine Yousif for BBC Photo: Unsplash A US judge has ruled Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly on online searches and related advertising. Google was sued by the Department of Justice in 2020 for its control of about 90 percent of the online search market. US District Judge Amit Mehta noted that Google paid billions to ensure it is the default search engine on smartphones and browsers. The decision on Monday could reshape how technology giants do business. "Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly," Judge Mehta wrote in his 277-page opinion. The decision is a significant victory for federal antitrust regulators who have filed other pending lawsuits against Big Tech companies, accusing them of operating unlawful monopolies. Federal regulat...

By Carolyn Enting Chanel replica bag posted by a Chinese seller on RepLadies. Photo: Screenshot They're known as luxury reps or super fakes - counterfeits of designer accessories that are so good you'd swear they were the real thing. These super fakes are being unwrapped in plain sight by influencers on Instagram and TikTok and purchased to order through online anonymous forums and chat groups. One such forum, sub-Reddit group Repladies Designer, has 112,000 members and spent more than US$3 million on replicas in 2021 (according to a self-reported survey). A spin-off group, WagoonLadies, has $58,000 members. Kiwi shoppers buying luxury fakes with the assistance of these chat groups include Auckland mum Rachel (not her real name). She bought a super fake Miu Miu bag directly from a Ch...

The pilot was killed after the helicopter landed in an isolated area of Papua in Indonesia. File photo. Photo: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Separatist rebels in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua have killed a helicopter pilot from New Zealand, regional police say. Police said four passengers aboard the aircraft were safe. The pilot was killed immediately after rebels rounded up those on board after the helicopter landed in an isolated area, police said in a statement. It comes nearly 18 months after the abduction by rebels of another pilot from New Zealand, Phillip Mehrtens, who remains in captivity. Police said the group responsible for Monday's incident in Alama district in the Central Papua province was the same group that is holding Mehrtens. The rebel West Papua National Libera...

By Marie-José Al Azzi of the BBC A few times a year, social media is flooded with warnings of Mercury rerograde. Photo: Unsplash "Mercury retrograde is coming back, my darlings." Sadicka, an astrologer and spiritual life coach, is telling her 5,000 Instagram followers to watch out for technology issues, trouble communicating with people and even car accidents, ahead of the planet Mercury going into retrograde from 4 August. A few times a year, Instagram and TikTok are flooded with cautionary posts like this one - as well as more tongue-in-cheek content (think: "POV: you blame all of your problems on Mercury being in retrograde instead of actually dealing with them"). Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and Mercury retrograde is an optical illusion which occurs three or four tim...

South Korean sharpshooter Kim Yeji sported sci-fi shooter glasses and an ice-cold stance during the women's 10m air pistol final. Photo: Charles McQuillan / Getty Images Kim Yeji made quite the impression at her Olympics debut. The South Korean sharp-shooter stepped out at the women's 10m air pistol final donning cyborgian shooter glasses and a black track suit, looking somewhat like a sci-fi assassin, and stepped away with a silver medal. She's one of many athletes bringing style and flair to the tournament - this year, bougie custom nails, relaxed street styles, and personalised hair and makeup trends are all the rage. Here are some of the athletes serving looks at the 2024 Paris Olympics. US track and field sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson shows off her nails while traveling along th...

A monitor shows Japan's Nikkei Stock Average temporarily plunging more than 2500 yen in Tokyo on Monday, 5 August, 2024. Photo: Tetsuji Noguchi / Yomiuri / AFP Stock markets in Asia plunged on Monday, following big falls last week by major indexes around the world. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes were both down by more than 10 percent in afternoon trade. It comes after weak jobs data in the US on Friday sparked fears of a recession in the world's largest economy. Meanwhile, the yen has been strengthening against the US dollar since the Bank of Japan raised interest rates last week, making stocks in Tokyo more expensive for foreign investors. "The selloff was instigated by the sharp appreciation of the [yen] as global investors turned cautious on Japanese corporate earnings, e...

By Caryn James of the BBC Yasmin (Marisa Abela), an heiress who works at Pierpoint. Photo: Simon Ridgway/HBO Does anyone enter the world of high finance for altruistic reasons? Ha! That is a laughable idea in Industry, the most cynical show on television. Largely because of that cynicism, it's also one of the best. The series about young professionals at the London branch of Pierpoint, a major investment bank, is ruthlessly clear-eyed about the cutthroat nature of its business and the competitiveness of its characters who are, if we're being charitable, ethically challenged. If we're being blunt, they are very attractive snakes, slithering around and selling each other out in an atmosphere of high-tension trades and privileged lives fuelled by sex and drugs. It's fascinating and grea...

Katrina Siniakova and Tomas Machac at the tennis mixed doubles medal ceremony. Photo: Getty Images An Olympian couple called it quits on their relationship to focus on their sport. Now, they've just won gold together at the 2024 Paris Olympics - and sparked rumours of a rekindled romance. Czech tennis stars Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac were crowned mixed doubles champions on Friday, beating China's Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen 6-2, 5-7 and 10-8. An impressive win aside, it was their court-side celebration that had heads turning - just weeks after confirming their breakup, the pair celebrated their win with a warm embrace and a kiss. Machac and Siniakova have become one of tennis's most recognisable power couples over the years. The duo began dating in 2020 and juggled their perso...

(File image). Photo: 123RF Australia's official terror alert level has been raised to "probable" amid heightened community tensions over the war in Gaza. Security authorities believe the chances of a violent extremist act are now more likely than when authorities lowered the alert level to "possible" in November 2022. ASIO's director-general Mike Burgess said Australia's security environment had become more volatile and unpredictable. "More Australians are being radicalised and being radicalised more quickly," Burgess said. "More Australians are willing to use violence to advance their cause. Politically motivated violence now joins espionage and foreign interference as our principal security concerns." He also noted the conflict in Gaza was not the "cause" for raising the terror level,...

Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER The Prime Minister of Vanuatu has been welcomed to Parliament with a formal pōwhiri and gun salute. Charlot Salwai will be in New Zealand until Thursday, visiting Auckland as well. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon welcomed Salwai and spoke of the longstanding relationship between the two countries. Luxon also acknowledged Vanuatu's RSE workers, thanking them for their support and their contribution to New Zealand. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Source link