Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in an open letter on his website in December noted that while all levels of government are on the ballot and every year’s elections are important, “the sheer number of people who will vote in 2024 means that the results will have an outsize impact on the future of our world”. … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Is 2024 the year when democracy hits a tipping point and slides toward autocracy? It may seem like an odd question to ask at a time when countries representing nearly half the world’s population, or an estimated 3.8 billion people, are sending their voters … Read more
The U.S. Navy destroyed three boats carrying Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on Sunday after fighters attempted to board a container ship in the second attack against the vessel this weekend. Helicopters from two destroyers, the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely, were dispatched after the Maersk Hangzhou issued a distress call at 6:30 a.m. … Read more
Two of the rest served in equipment development departments, including for the Central Military Commission (CMC), while one is a naval commander. The CMC is the top military command body in China’s political hierarchy, and is chaired by President Xi Jinping. The ousted military men include Li Yuchao, commander of the Rocket Force from January … Read more
The Omicron coronavirus subvariant JN.1 now makes up about 44.2 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The variant, which was previously classified under its parent strain, BA.2.86, prompted concern among some scientists earlier this year due to its high number of … Read more
WASHINGTON — Arnong Mungoei has farmed rice in Thailand’s Khon Kaen province for half a century. Working land some 500 kilometers northeast of Bangkok never made her rich, but it provided a dependable livelihood. But since February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, global geopolitical tensions and weather conditions elsewhere have upended the rice markets and … Read more
Passenger vehicle (PV) makers are estimated to have taken a sharp correction in dispatches to dealers in December, indicating that sales in Asia’s third largest auto market are beginning to lose steam. Easing of demand post festivals that had pushed up inventory coupled with last year’s high base impact nudged automakers to cut dispatches. December … Read more
An American destroyer intercepted four drones fired by Houthi militants into the busy shipping lanes of the Red Sea, during a chaotic evening of strikes that hit at least one foreign-owned oil tanker. In a statement issued Sunday, U.S. Central Command said its navy had “shot down four unmanned aerial drones originating from Houthi-controlled areas … Read more
A short walk from the Ruins of St Paul’s in Macau will bring you to Fantasia Kitchen, which serves creative Italian cuisine with Asian influences. On an unassuming alleyway in Macau called Rua de Sanches de Miranda – set between the famed landmark Ruins of St Paul’s and the heritage building-turned-art hub Albergue da Santa … Read more
TAIPEI — 2024 will be a bumper year of elections around the world, but one of the first votes on the calendar will also be one of the most hotly contested and consequential: Taiwan, where there are vital strategic interests at play for both the U.S. and China on January 13. If the campaign started … Read more
