UK Concerned About IS Threat After Moscow Attack
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#d9ee7f5c ver:0.12
The deadly terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall near Moscow continues to draw international condemnation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken strongly condemned the attack, expressing solidarity with the Russians mourning the victims and offering deepest condolences to the families and relatives of those killed. The attack, which occurred on March 22, involved unidentified assailants opening fire at the venue, leading to evacuations. The death toll has now reached 133. The Director of the Federal Security Service of Russia, Alexander Bortnikov, has briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on the detention of 11 individuals, including four terrorists involved in the attack. The suspects have been confirmed to be non-Russian citizens. The incident has prompted additional anti-terrorist meas...
#newstr #Moscow #TerroristAttack #Is #Uk #JeremyHunt
China's Crackdown on Hong Kong: Lies, Ideology, and Repression
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#2eb50c32 ver:0.67
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu met with Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), in Shenzhen, just two days after the passage of the Article 23 national security law. The meeting, which was announced by the administrative agency, was attended by Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung, and Director of the Chief Executive Office Carol Yip Man-kuen. Four HKMAO vice ministers and Xia Baolong, who also serves as director of Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong, were also present. Xia had previously visited Hong Kong to discuss the proposed Article 23 law. The new national security law, which consists of 39 offenses divided into five categories, is set to take effect on Saturday .
The passage of the Article 23 ...
#newstr #China #HongKong #XiJinping #Article23 #NationalSecurityLaw #JimmyLai #ForeignCompanies #Taiwan
The Dark Side of Child Influencers on Instagram: Exploitation, Stalking, and the Intersection with K-pop Fandom
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#c7915805 ver:0.04
In a disturbing report by The New York Times, the dark side of child influencers on Instagram is exposed. The article reveals that mothers seeking social media fame for their underage daughters are posting images of them on Instagram, attracting men who are sexually attracted to children. These men sometimes pay to see more explicit content featuring these young girls. The report highlights the exploitative nature of this phenomenon and the dangers it poses to the safety and well-being of these child influencers.
The article provides insights into the motivations of these mothers, who see their children as a means to gain social media stardom and potentially financial gain. It also sheds light on the disturbing behavior of the men who stalk these child influencers and engage in inappropri...
#newstr #ChildInfluencers #Instagram #Exploitation #Stalking #Kpop #SuperFans #Idols #Privacy #FanCulture
Outdoor art display boosts HK as a cultural hub: govt
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#73eba3e5 ver:0.13
The Hong Kong government is considering making changes to a HK$500,000 art installation outside the East Kowloon Cultural Centre after receiving feedback that the display resembles funeral tributes. The installation, consisting of rows of LED roses that are white during the day and lit up in blue at night, has drawn comments on social media that it looks haunting and reminiscent of flowers in memorial halls or placed by tombstones. Jack Cheung, a Kwun Tong district councillor, stated that the Home Affairs Department and the installation's contractors are in discussion and will make some minor tweaks. The installation was covered with green canvas and fenced off after the comments, and it is unclear if the official unveiling will proceed as planned.
The Design Trust, a Hong Kong-based org...
#newstr #HongKong #Art #CulturalExchange #Exhibition #LyricTheatreComplex #WestKowloonCulturalDistrict #OutdoorArtProject
Protesters rally against Hong Kong security law in London, Taiwan, and abroad
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#b80b1c2b ver:0.26
Protesters abroad, including in London and Taiwan, have rallied against Hong Kong's new national security law. In London, demonstrators gathered outside the British Foreign Office, many of them Hong Kong residents, wearing masks for fear of reprisals. The protesters included Finn Lau, one of eight foreign activists against whom Hong Kong officials issued an arrest warrant last July. Benedict Rogers, head of the rights group Hong Kong Watch, expressed concerns about the law's potential to impose 'extremely severe prison sentences' and violate the Sino-British Joint Declaration. In Taiwan, protesters staged a symbolic fight between people wearing costumes of a Formosan Black Bear and Winnie the Pooh, representing Taiwan and Chinese President Xi Jinping, respectively. The new law, known as Ar...
#newstr #HongKong #Protests #NationalSecurityLaw #HumanRights
The Enigmatic Bugs, the Mystery of the Mushroom-Frog Relationship, and Other Nature's Strange Secrets
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#fdcfddc6 ver:0.04
In the southern region of Louisiana, people have been encountering strange little bugs in their yards and houses. These bugs, with multiple legs and varying colors of green, pink, or brown, have been causing quite a stir. As it turns out, these bugs are actually a type of moth in their final stage of development. They have a life cycle of about 30 days and can appear multiple times a year in the region.
These enigmatic bugs have not only captured the attention of Louisiana residents but have also made their way to Tennessee. Recently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists in Memphis intercepted rare treehopper bugs on Persea sp leaves. This was the first-ever sighting of these bugs in Tennessee.
The discovery of these treehopper bugs in Tennessee has raised con...
#newstr #EnigmaticBugs #MushroomfrogRelationship #Insects #Biodiversity #Ecosystem #EnvironmentalProtection #Guangdong
Massive Sovereign Wins Hong Kong Derby in Epic Finish
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#287589aa ver:0.14
In a thrilling race that captivated horse racing fans, Massive Sovereign emerged as the victor in the Hong Kong Derby. The prestigious race took place at Sha Tin on March 24, 2024, and saw jockey Zac Purton claim his second Hong Kong Derby victory .
Starting as the second favorite, Purton made a brilliant ride on Massive Sovereign, coming from second last to surge to the front in the final 50 meters. The overall time of 1:59.85 was the fastest in a Derby since it was switched to 2,000 meters in 2000. Purton expressed his relief and honor to win the race, considering it the most prestigious race in Hong Kong .
Massive Sovereign, previously known as Broadhurst, won the Derby at just his second Hong Kong start. The horse has shown great potential and a good attitude since arriving in Hong K...
#newstr #MassiveSovereign #ZacPurton #HongKongDerby #DennisYipChorhong #HorseRacing
Go Park Sai Sha: A New Sports and Shopping Landmark in Hong Kong by Zaha Hadid Architects
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#e529eedd ver:0.22
Hotels in Hong Kong are already receiving bookings from Xi'an and Qingdao ahead of the individual visit scheme expanded to cover the two cities starting tomorrow. The local tourism sector expects the visitors to bring a strong consumption power to the SAR. Hotel company Miramar Group's chief operations officer Alan Chan Chung-yee said the group is preparing to visit the two cities to publicize and promote its hotels and shopping malls. Metropark Hotel Mongkok revealed they received bookings from Xi'an and Qingdao travelers and expected to recruit 10 percent more casual workers and raise salaries to cope with the increasing demand in hotel rooms if more cities are covered in the scheme. China Travel Service (Hong Kong) is also in contact with the local tourism departments of Qingdao and Xi'...
#newstr #HongKong #Tourism #Hotels #Xi'an #Qingdao #Xiong'anNewArea #SwissExecutive #GoParkSaiSha #ZahaHadidArchitects #Sports #Retail #Entertainment
China BlueChemical Achieves Record-High Profit in 2023, Up 45% Year-on-Year
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#d5bd618e ver:0.18
China BlueChemical Ltd., a chemical company based in Hong Kong, reported a record-high profit in 2023. The company's profit increased by 45% year-on-year to RMB 2.382 billion. The revenue for the year was RMB 12.990 billion. The CEO and President of China BlueChem, Mr. HOU Xiaofeng, attributed the company's success to the promotion of the transformation and upgrade of the traditional industrial structure, safe production practices, and increased sales efficiency. The company also achieved a brand value of RMB 5.404 billion in 2023. In terms of production management, China BlueChem had no production-related accidents or environmental pollution incidents in 2023. The company produced various chemical products, including urea, phosphate and compound fertilizers, methanol, and acrylonitrile. I...
#newstr #ChinaBluechemicalLtd #ChemicalFertilizers #SyntheticChemicalProducts #Profit #Revenue #Dividend #BrandValue #EquityInterest #ProductionManagement #SalesManagement #Exports #Urea #Methanol #PhosphateFertilizers #CompoundFertilizers #Acrylonitrile #2024
Evergrande Withdraws Chapter 15 Bankruptcy Protection Applications in the US
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#a1f410b9 ver:0.21
Asian shares were mostly higher on Monday, led by gains in Chinese markets following recent policy moves. Chinese regulators announced measures to support declining stock markets, leading to Chinese stocks leading Asia's gains . China Evergrande Group, a major Chinese property developer, has been ordered to undergo liquidation. Evergrande's overseas creditors failed to reach a restructuring deal, leading to the suspension of its shares from trading in Hong Kong . Evergrande has more than $300 billion in liabilities and can appeal the order . This news resulted in a jump in shares of Chinese property developers, with China Evergrande Holdings up 5.4% .
However, on Tuesday, Asian shares fell as concerns over the court-ordered liquidation of China's Evergrande Group and rising geopolitical t...
#newstr #Evergrande #Bankruptcy #Liquidation #China #PropertyDeveloper
AAC Technologies Hits New 12-Month High as Advance Auto Parts Receives Mixed Analyst Ratings
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#ab2bd784 ver:0.14
Advance Auto Parts Inc. (AAP) has received mixed ratings from analysts. Nineteen research firms have covered the company, with two analysts giving a sell rating, sixteen assigning a hold rating, and one assigning a buy rating. The average one-year target price among these analysts is $68.88. Some equities research analysts have commented on AAP shares, with Bank of America downgrading the stock from a 'neutral' rating to an 'underperform' rating and dropping their price target from $60.00 to $43.00. Barclays, on the other hand, increased their price target from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an 'equal weight' rating. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target from $83.00 to $73.00 and set a 'neutral' rating. TheStreet raised their rating from a 'd+' to a 'c-' rating. Truist ...
#newstr #AdvanceAutoPartsInc #AacTechnologies #StockMarket #AnalystRatings #PriceTarget #Investment
Hong Kong Weightlifting Association Faces Backlash for Chairman's Remarks
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#a7f45682 ver:0.08
Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who was recently released after three years of detention in Beijing, spoke about her experience in her first interview with Sky News Australia . Cheng described feeling alternately fragile like a newborn and feeling like she could fly. She was reunited with her children in Melbourne after being released and expressed her heartbreak at seeing her mother aged and weakened from raising the children in her absence .
Cheng, a former business television anchor for Chinese state television, was detained in 2020 for allegedly sharing state secrets. She could not divulge details about her case but admitted to sharing a government briefing document before going on-air, which is considered a serious offense in China .
Cheng expressed gratitude to the Australian gove...
#newstr #WeightliftingAssociation #HongKong #JosephineIpWingyuk
Protesters rally against Hong Kong security law in London and Taiwan
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#b80b1c2b ver:0.25
Protesters abroad, including in London and Taiwan, have rallied against Hong Kong's new national security law. In London, demonstrators gathered outside the British Foreign Office, many of them Hong Kong residents, wearing masks for fear of reprisals. The protesters included Finn Lau, one of eight foreign activists against whom Hong Kong officials issued an arrest warrant last July. Benedict Rogers, head of the rights group Hong Kong Watch, expressed concerns about the law's potential to impose 'extremely severe prison sentences' and violate the Sino-British Joint Declaration. In Taiwan, protesters staged a symbolic fight between people wearing costumes of a Formosan Black Bear and Winnie the Pooh, representing Taiwan and Chinese President Xi Jinping, respectively. The new law, known as Ar...
#newstr #HongKong #SecurityLaw #Protesters #London #Taiwan
Australian-designed Teleport Robot Challenges Zoom in Video Conferencing
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#b8f401f8 ver:0.2
Egypt has launched KMT, an AI-based chatbot designed to revolutionize how civil servants and the public access legal and administrative information. KMT is capable of answering over 50,000 legal and administrative questions and is available through the official CAOA website, as well as WhatsApp and Facebook applications. The launch of KMT aligns with Egypt's Vision 2030 and the National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2023-2030. The integration of AI into public service comes with challenges such as ensuring accuracy, safeguarding user data, and maintaining functionality. However, it also presents opportunities for improvement and innovation. The introduction of KMT is part of Egypt's broader effort to harness technology for societal advancement, including infrastructure development, data governa...
#newstr #AiChatbots #DigitalGovernance #CustomerSupport #WorkforceEfficiency #FinancialCrimePrevention #ArabicspeakingBusinesses #AiBotMarketplace #CustomerExperience #LoyaltyPrograms #RoboticsEducation #TeleconferencingRobot
Top Stories on HERE.news in this hour...https://imagedelivery.net/665GHToRzycMVwZ9VsJNfA/f5718b71-2169-4b9c-79b7-ea328e428800/screenshot
Gold prices stabilize in Baghdad and decrease in Erbil
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#937d57ac ver:0.25
Gold prices have stabilized in the local markets in Baghdad, while they have decreased in Erbil. In Baghdad, the selling price per mithqal (equals five grams) of 21-carat gold from Gulf, Turkish, and European sources was 449,000 IQD, with a buying price of 445,000 IQD. Iraqi gold had the selling price per mithqal of 21-carat recorded at 419,000 IQD, with a buying price of 415,000 IQD. In Erbil, the selling price per one gram of 24-carat gold was 525,000 IQD, 21-carat gold was sold at 460,000 IQD, and 18-carat gold was sold at 395,000 IQD.
Gold prices in Jordan have stabilized for the third day in a row. The purchase price for citizens of one gram of 21-carat gold stands at JD 43.7, with a selling price of JD 41.9. The purchase price of one gram of 24-carat gold is JD 50.9 with a selling ...
#newstr #Gold #Prices #Baghdad #Erbil
Nearly 14% of NRIs from the US Struggle with Double Taxation in Tax Return Filing: Survey
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#bc53a244 ver:0.1
Large companies like Microsoft have been evading taxes through profit shifting schemes, such as funneling profits through low-tax regions like Puerto Rico . This practice of profit shifting is believed to be common among big corporations, with an estimated $969 billion in profits being shifted to tax havens globally in 2019 . As a result, there has been a significant loss in corporate tax revenue, with the IRS reporting a 16% decrease in the US . To combat tax evasion, the IRS has recently increased efforts to crack down on these practices . However, experts argue that more resources are needed to address the issue and ensure equity in the economy .
In an effort to provide taxpayers with more options and challenge private tax preparation services, the IRS will be launching a pilot tax fil...
#newstr #TaxEvasion #IrsInitiatives #PuertoRicoTaxBreaks #ReportingIncomeFromIllegalActivities #EmergingTaxScams #FreeTaxFilingService #Nris #DoubleTaxation #TaxReturnFiling
IMF Chief Urges China to Reinvent Economic Policies for High-Quality Growth
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#dcd2cf20 ver:0.29
China's annual parliamentary meetings concluded with the government targeting GDP growth of 5% in 2024, lower than the 5.2% achieved in 2023 but higher than the IMF's projection of 4.6%. The country's economic growth drivers, including market incentives, cheap labor, infrastructure investment, exports, and foreign direct investment, are currently not working effectively .
China faced economic challenges in 2023, including a correction in the housing market and growing unemployment. The government plans to counteract these pressures by accelerating fiscal and monetary stimulus to achieve a 5 percent expansion in GDP and creating more jobs. The real estate sector, which was a major driver of China's economy, is facing a crisis with property developers defaulting on debts. Weak consumer dema...
#newstr #China #Economy #Imf #PropertyMarket #DomesticConsumption #Productivity #EconomicGrowth #Investment
Japan's Efforts to Improve Human Capital and Market Capitalization
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#e64ff216 ver:0.09
Japan's stock market has shown signs of life, with a 20% increase this year, driven by big changes in corporate Japan . The government and stock market are focusing on corporate governance and pushing companies to improve their share prices and valuations . The authorities are increasing pressure on companies to disclose plans for corporate reform and are planning to publish a list of companies that are making efforts to improve performance and corporate governance . The Tokyo Stock Exchange plans to publish the names of companies that have not disclosed their capital plans, as part of its efforts to improve corporate governance . The move comes after a series of high-profile scandals involving companies that failed to disclose their capital plans . The exchange will also require compan...
#newstr #TokyoStockExchange #CorporateGovernance #CapitalEfficiency #HumanCapital #MarketCapitalization #Diversity #Investment
Bipartisan Efforts to Provide Tax Relief to Families and Businesses in Idaho and North Carolina
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#2a1cb498 ver:0.23
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and Rep. Jim McGovern praised the passage of the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act in the House, a $78 billion tax bill that expands the child tax credit and provides tax breaks for businesses. Neal highlighted the positive jobs report released by the U.S. Department of Labor, which showed the recovery of jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. While Neal acknowledged that not all Democratic priorities were included, he emphasized that the bill is a victory for families in the middle and lower economic spectrum. McGovern expressed concern about potential changes to the child tax credit in the Senate and criticized any attempts to limit its benefits. Both representatives called for a cease-fire in Gaza...
#newstr #ChildTaxCredit #TaxRelief #BipartisanCollaboration #TaxReform #BusinessDeductions