Author: Gulf News Week
Getty ImagesThe New Yalu River Bridge spans 3km (1.9 miles) from the Chinese border city of Dandong to Sinuiju in North KoreaA long-delayed road bridge linking China and North Korea has opened, Chinese state media report, as trade ties improve between the neighbours. China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and a lifeline against heavy international sanctions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.The New Yalu River Bridge spans 3km (1.9 miles) from the Chinese border city of Dandong to Sinuiju in North Korea, and is set to become the main land route for trade between them.Its launch, initially slated for 2014,…
Getty ImagesThe White House is defending its new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, as she faces scrutiny over her legal credentials.President Donald Trump described Zacharia as an attorney when announcing her appointment last week and she has referred to herself as a lawyer. But when she was asked on Tuesday by a reporter in which state she had passed the bar exam required to be an attorney in the US, she said standing alongside the president: “When I moved to China.” She does not appear to be registered to the bar in any state where she has lived. White House communications…
Watch: The BBC’s Shaimaa Khalil is in Arizona to hear from residents about the expansion of data centres.A year ago, a longtime US senator was not thinking much about data centres. Now, according to one of his advisers, he is having regular meetings with staff to track their impact and working on new legislation aimed at curbing their rapid expansion across the country.”This happens sometimes, something starts slow and then it goes fast”, the senior policy adviser to the Democratic senator told the BBC. The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not permitted to speak to the…
Watch: What’s going on between Kelly Clarkson and a Brooklyn store bird?On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, a novelty toy and games store in the quiet Brooklyn neighbourhood of Cobble Hill was seeing much busier foot traffic than usual.Inside, the shop was packed with cameramen and customers, while passersby looked inside, asking: “Where’s the bird?”Art of Play has found itself at the centre of a social media storm since the weekend when Grammy-winning musician Kelly Clarkson complained online that the boutique store would not let her buy a singing and dancing mechanical bird that was perched on the wall.The Since U…
What if you could turn off your algorithm? Australia is about to tryNew legislation is being tabled in Australia’s parliament on Thursday to force big tech to allow users to switch off algorithms which send them recommended content.6 hrs agoAustralia
Kathryn VaughnKathryn Vaughn works many odd jobs to supplement her teacher’s salaryKathryn Vaughn returned to work at a rural West Tennessee elementary school this autumn with a lot more stress on her plate than in previous years.The 46-year-old, like many Americans, is juggling how to provide for her family with rising costs of, as she described it, “everything”.She spends her days working three different jobs to support her family of four, including as a primary school art teacher, as US inflation continues to rise. Over the past 12 months, prices rose by 3.7% – up from 3.4% in the 12…
Getty ImagesSally Rooney has sold more than six million copies of her novels globallyNormal People author Sally Rooney has said her novels will no longer be supplied to booksellers in the UK as a result of her support for Palestine Action.The Irish novelist said last year she intended to carry on using her royalties to support the group, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.In a statement to BBC News, Rooney said further publication of her work could constitute a “serious criminal offence”, so she had agreed with her publisher Faber not to continue supplying her books in…
Getty ImagesStarlink satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX provide high-speed internet – something modern war relies heavily on.Kyiv has adopted it as a vital battlefield communications tool and also uses it in drone warfare. Using Starlink, Ukrainian drones are able to maintain stronger connections with operators over longer distances than conventional radio networks and are less vulnerable to jamming.But a sudden speed restriction for drones connected to Starlink means some battlefield “missions” have been disrupted, according to a top Ukrainian official.Throttling drones connected to the network at this relatively low speed makes Ukrainian efforts to intercept jet-powered Russian drones all…
Watch: BBC reports from outside court as Russell Brand’s trial beginsRussell Brand was described as “ruthless” and a “sexual predator” by the prosecution at the start of his trial for rape and sexual assault on Wednesday.The 51-year-old actor and comedian faces three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one of indecent assault.The allegations, made by six female complainants, span a 10-year period between 1999 and 2009. He denies the charges.Riel Karmy-Jones KC, for the prosecution, told Southwark Crown Court in London the women “did not know each other”, “have never met each other” and “came forward independently…
Watch: Burnham welcomes Zelensky to No 10 with military ceremonial guardPresident Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to London follows a well-trodden diplomatic path in a war now in its fifth year.For months, US President Donald Trump had been a largely benign presence in the conflict, promising Ukraine greater access to American air defence technology and threatening more sanctions on Russia.Then last week Trump carried out an abrupt U-turn, lifting sanctions on Russian diesel and calling for Zelensky to be replaced.Once again Ukraine’s leader got on his plane to shore up support among European allies. Today London, tomorrow Brussels.For the prime minister there…