Category: English

Hello Kitty maker Sanrio has cancelled a collaboration with a Japanese TV spy show after ‌a backlash in China, the second incident in days to highlight the tightrope foreign firms and celebrities must walk in the lucrative market. The Wednesday announcement by Sanrio’s Chinese subsidiary came just after French soccer star Kylian Mbappe apologised for remarks about late ​Chinese leader Mao Zedong that saw several Chinese sponsors cut ties with him. The hit show VIVANT, ​produced by Japanese broadcaster TBS and also available on Netflix, centres on Japanese spies ⁠and…

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Oil prices ​fell on Thursday, paring gains made a day earlier, as hopes for peace talks took the edge ‌off renewed concerns over Middle East supply disruptions from escalating regional conflict. Brent crude futures declined $1.22, or 1.1%, to $114.10 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down $1.33, or 1.3%, at $101.45. Brent rose 1.3%, and WTI gained 3% on Wednesday. Oil prices ​fell on Thursday, paring gains made a day earlier, as hopes for peace talks took the edge ‌off renewed concerns over Middle East…

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The United States has urged several Middle Eastern countries and regional allies to prepare for possible renewed military action against Iran after the November 3 midterm elections, as well as potential Iranian retaliation, according to two diplomats briefed on the warnings. US President Donald Trump has not made a final decision on fresh strikes, but has repeatedly said he is considering military action after the elections. The warnings have heightened concerns across the region that the conflict, which began in late February, could escalate again. The diplomats, who spoke on…

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Benjamin Netanyahu looked set to remain Israel’s caretaker prime minister after unexpectedly strong backing among radical Jewish voters left his opponents little apparent prospect of unseating him, ​despite his right-wing bloc losing its parliamentary majority. With nearly 86% of votes tallied on Wednesday, Israel’s three main broadcasters projected Netanyahu’s bloc of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties would win 53 ‌seats in the 120-seat Knesset, well ahead of the 48 for rival Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc. Parties representing Arab Israelis were projected to win an unprecedented 19 seats, leaving Eisenkot little…

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Flavio Bolsonaro declared ​himself Brazil’s rightful leader on Wednesday after arriving in the United States, alleging he was the victim of an electoral coup by the country’s ‌Supreme Court and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won the vote by over 4 million votes. Bolsonaro arrived in Miami after leaving Brazil, where he refused to comply with a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports. He thanked Argentine leader Javier Milei for helping him make the journey and US President Donald Trump, who granted him and his family entry…

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Actor Barry Keoghan has revealed that he is undergoing a non-invasive cosmetic treatment to improve his skin, months after speaking publicly about the impact of online abuse targeting his appearance. The 34-year-old actor recently received XERF skin-tightening treatment, a procedure that uses radiofrequency technology to tighten skin and stimulate collagen production without needles. In a video posted on October 23 by Nilam Holmes, owner of Dermaspa, Keoghan spoke positively about the treatment and praised Holmes for taking care of his skin. Footage showed him lying on a treatment bed while…

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Iran is discussing proposals with regional mediators to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Tehran is reviewing ways to implement its seven-day plan in an even shorter timeframe. “We remain in close and ongoing contact with intermediaries to review ideas that can ensure implementation of our 7-Day Plan in even less than a week,” Araghchi said in a post on X on Wednesday, adding that Iran remained willing to give diplomacy a chance despite being prepared to defend itself against renewed…

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Apple CEO John Ternus unveiled the company’s first touchscreen MacBooks on Wednesday, abandoning a long-held aversion to the technology as it caps a burst of product launches ahead of the holiday shopping season. On stage at an Apple event in Los Angeles, Ternus showed a MacBook Pro ​model with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, playing up the display’s contrast, sharpness and brightness in front of an audience of content creators and ‌creative professionals. He also said the company would return to a glowing logo on the back of the…

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The government has increased the price of petrol by Rs1.85 per litre and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs1.75 per litre, effective October 29, 2026. According to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division on Wednesday, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) revised the prices of petroleum products under the federal government’s pricing mechanism. Following the revision, petrol will cost Rs377.91 per litre, up from Rs376.06, while the price of high-speed diesel has risen to Rs399.82 per litre from Rs398.07. The revised prices will take effect on Thursday, October 29.…

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Noreen Niazi, a sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, has been shifted from Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology after a heart complaint. Her lawyer, Rana Mudassir Umar, said she complained of heart trouble and was taken to hospital. He said doctors are carrying out preliminary medical tests. No hospital or official statement on her condition was available. Noreen Niazi had been held at Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore. Noreen Niazi is one of three sisters of the jailed former prime minister who have been held…

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