Jan.27 -- Facebook Inc.’s fourth-quarter sales jumped 33%, with online shopping during the pandemic fueling demand for digital ads on its social networks. Bloomberg Intelligence's Mandeep Singh has more on "Bloomberg Markets: The Close."
U.S. air strikes against Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria killed at least one fighter and wounded several others in what U.S. officials said was a calibrated response to rocket attacks against American personnel in Iraq. The attacks, which took place early on Friday Middle Eastern time, were deliberately limited in scope and designed to show that President Joe Biden's administration will act tough but wants to avoid a major regional escalation, U.S. officials said. Washington and Tehran are seeking maximum leverage in attempts to return to the Iran nuclear deal secured in 2015 but abandoned by former President Donald Trump in 2018, after which regional tensions soared and fears of full-scale conflict grew.
United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, in rare public comments on Saudi Arabia, said on Friday that people were "unjustly detained" in the kingdom and urged it to uphold freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly. "I urge the authorities to also establish legislative frameworks to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association for everyone in the Kingdom," she told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“District 9” and “Elysium” director Neill Blomkamp has revealed that he and writing partners Sharlto Copley and Terri Tatchell are in the process of writing the screenplay for “District 10,” the long-awaited follow-up to South Africa’s biggest box office hit. “District 10 screenplay also being written by @sharlto (Sharlto Copley) @territachell (Terri Tatchell) and I. […]
Madrid-based sales company Feel Content has picked up international sales rights to black comedy “El cuento del tío” (“Pigeon Drop”), the feature debut of Argentine writer-director Ignacio Guggiari. An Argentina-Chile co-production, produced by Gastón Klingenfeld at Buenos Aires’ outfit Gancho, Agustín Gosende at Cooperativa Mental and Picardía Films’ Diego Rougier, “El cuento del tío” world […]
Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal is eligible to play competitive cricket after the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) reduced his ban for breaching the Pakistan Cricket Board's Anti-Corruption code, the board said on Friday. The middle-order batsman was suspended in February last year for failing to report approaches to him to engage in corrupt practices before the 2020 Pakistan Super League competition. The CAS has now reduced the ban to 12 months but asked the 30-year-old to pay a $27,000 fine and complete a rehabilitation programme under the board's anti-corruption code, the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement.
British actor Tom Holland, best known for playing Spider-Man, went through a physical transformation to play a drug addict war veteran suffering from PTSD in the new Russo brothers' movie "Cherry". Holland, who rose to global fame when he was cast by the Russo brothers as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 2016 superhero movie "Captain America: Civil War", said he wasn't sure if he was ready to take on the title role in the new gritty crime drama. "Cherry" is inspired by Nico Walker's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name and tells the story of 23-year-old Ohio-native Cherry who, disenfranchised and heartbroken after believing he has lost the love of his life Emily (Ciara Bravo) enlists in the army and soon finds himself serving in Iraq.
The COVID-19 vaccination rollout in Britain should continue to prioritise people by age rather than occupation, the chair of Britain's vaccine advice committee said on Friday, describing the system as the best way to keep up the pace of immunisations. Britain's vaccine rollout has been among the fastest in the world, meeting a government target to offer vaccines to 15 million high-risk people by mid-February. Some frontline workers such as police and teachers had been calling for prioritisation for shots on the basis of their jobs, but Professor Wei Shen Lim, COVID-19 chairman for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said such an approach could complicate the rollout.
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s statement was recorded earlier this afternoon by the police as part of their investigations into the Pakatan Harapan (PH)...
He won an Academy Award for his scathing look into the Russian doping scandal and now documentarian Bryan Fogel returns with a shocking exploration of the controversial murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
A winter weather advisory was in effect for the western and central interior of Alaska on Thursday, February 25, as a band of snow moved across the state, the National Weather Service said.Video shared by the NWS in Fairbanks, Alaska, shows snow falling on an already well-covered road in the city. Credit: NWS Fairbanks via Storyful
Germany's unabashedly frumpy but comfortable flat sandal maker Birkenstock stepped into the luxury league on Friday, with an LVMH-backed company and the French group's billionaire owner snapping up the iconic brand.
The musical tribute to pay thanks to hotel staff came at the end of a mandatory two-week quarantine in the Sofitel Wentworth hotel in Sydney.The 33-member strong of the Kaiviti Silktails players and team officials stepped outside their individual hotel rooms and united their voices in singing from their balconies to the delight of hotel staff and guests.The Fijian team had to self isolated before they continue their practice for their first full season in the Ron Massey Cup competition in New South Wales, Australia.
Paris-based Luxbox has scored the worldwide sales rights to Swedish-Costa Rican debut feature “Clara Sola” by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén. The magical realist tale set in a remote Costa Rican village follows a woman, known for her healing powers, who seeks to break away from the stifling social and religious conventions of her community. “Clara Sola” […]
Burmese police fired shots to disperse protesters in Myanmar’s two biggest cities on February 26, according to live footage streamed, and a Reuters report, citing witnesses on the ground.Footage shared from Yangon shows protesters fleeing as the sound of shots rings out.It was not immediately clear if the shots heard were live fire. At least one person was injured in the protests. Credit: Thi Rein Dra Zaw via Storyful
The daughter of Huawei's founder lost a similar case in the UK just days ago. She is fighting a US extradition request from Canada.
New Zealand will dive straight into the deep end when they open their bid for a fourth World Cup title against hosts France in the opening game of the 2023 tournament, according to the fixture schedule revealed Friday.
It's known as a maker of smartphones. But two years of U.S. sanctions have battered Huawei. It's had to sell one unit to keep the phone brand alive. Now the Chinese giant is thinking about a big shift. Reuters sources say it's planning to make electric vehicles. Some models could even launch this year. The sources say the firm is in talks with state-owned Changan Automobile and other makers. It reportedly wants to use their factories to build its cars. Huawei has denied the reports, saying it just wants to work with automakers on in-car technology. But three sources say the firm has already started designing EVs, and approached suppliers. None of the automakers mentioned by the sources would comment. But shares in Changan's main listed unit surged as much as 8% after the Reuters report. Huawei may not be the only tech firm to pivot into cars. Apple is reported to be planning an electric vehicle, which could launch as soon as 2024. Shares in Kia jumped 3% Friday (February 26) after South Korean media reports said it might build the car. Meanwhile iPhone assembler Foxconn said this week it was teaming up with U.S. startup and would-be Tesla rival Fisker.
Queensland edged Melbourne 23-21 in a Super Rugby match on Friday after Matt Toomua missed a shot at goal with the last kick of the game that would have given the Rebels the win. Two second-half tries to Queensland hooker Alex Mafi salvaged the two-point win after Toomua’s penalty shot sailed left of the uprights at Suncorp Stadium. The loss was a difficult one for the Rebels, who only flew into Brisbane on Friday morning and have been based in Canberra after making a last-minute dash out of Melbourne to avoid a COVID-19-enforced lockdown that would have meant they were unable to enter Queensland.
Spanish government veterinarians were on Friday inspecting hundreds of cows crammed aboard a ship that returned to port after months at sea in which the animals endured what one NGO described as "hellish" conditions. The Karim Allah docked at the southeastern Spanish port of Cartagena on Thursday after drifting for months through the Mediterranean, struggling to find a buyer for its 895 cattle, which were rejected by several countries over fears they had bovine bluetongue virus. If they test positive for the insect-borne bluetongue virus, which causes lameness and haemorrhaging, the cows will be immediately destroyed, said Miguel Masramon, a lawyer representing the shipowner, Talia Shipping Line.
A retired Italian teacher has bequeathed more than 25 million euros ($30 million) to hospitals and charities, stunning residents of the northern city of Genoa where she lived who had no inkling of her wealth. Marisa Cavanna died in December aged 96. She wrote her own obituary in the Genoa city newspaper, Il Secolo XIX, dedicating "a heartfelt remembrance to a long list of former students".
