Author: AFP

A fork in disposable plastic products

HONG KONG: Need a plastic fork at a Hong Kong restaurant? Come April 22, Earth Day, customers will have to start reaching for more eco-friendly cutlery, according to a bill passed on Wednesday by the city’s legislature. Plastic waste is the finance hub’s second-largest source of municipal solid waste, with

Nintendo, Sony face off with new games

TOKYO: Nintendo and Sony have a lot riding on two new releases this Friday, “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” for the PlayStation 5 and “Super Mario Bros Wonder” on the Switch. That’s where the similarities stop: the two games on rival consoles and their target audiences could hardly be more different. Mario,

Smartphone sales sag globally

SAN FRANCISCO: Sales of smartphones continued to shrink globally in the recently-ended quarter as consumers watched spending, market tracker Counterpoint reported on Monday. Smartphone sales fell 8 per cent, marking the ninth consecutive quarter of decline in year-over-year comparisons, according to research by Counterpoint’s Market Pulse service. The decline was

Indigenous Australians weigh referendum defeat

SYDNEY: Aboriginal Australians on Sunday grieved the collapse of a landmark push for Indigenous rights and recognition that was spurned by the country’s white majority in a binding constitutional referendum. Indigenous leaders called for a “week of silence” to mourn the “bitter” outcome of Saturday’s landside vote, which has called

Skygazers watch Ring of Fire eclipse

ALBUQUERQUE (United States): Skygazers across the Americas turned their faces upwards Saturday for a rare celestial event: an annular solar eclipse. A crowd of people wearing protective eyewear gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, one of many across the western United States watching as the Moon passed between the Sun and Earth

Thousands rally in UK for Palestinians

LONDON: Tens of thousands of people rallied Saturday in London and other UK cities at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, amid police warnings that anyone showing support for the militant group Hamas could face arrest. Protesters marching through the heart of the British capital were shadowed by a heavy police presence of more

Italy cruise as Denmark edge towards spot

PARIS: Reigning champions Italy eased to a 4-0 victory over Malta in Euro 2024 qualifying on Saturday, while Denmark strengthened their position and dented the hopes of outsiders Kazakhstan. Giacomo Bonaventura curled in his first Italy goal and Domenico Berardi produced a fine strike of his own to double the

NZ centre-right parties surge to early lead

WELLINGTON: A centre-right coalition Saturday surged to an early lead in New Zealand’s election, as voters punished an incumbent Labour government rocked by Jacinda Ardern’s surprise resignation earlier this year. The National Party and its coalition partner ACT were projected to win 65 seats with more than 30 per cent

Taylor Swift and political needs

ANOTHER day, another Taylor Swift media circus: talk of the pop phenomenon is omnipresent, from her forthcoming concert film to her dating life to her wildly successful global tour. And as the 33-year-old’s power grows all-consuming, renewed discussion of her potential political weight has followed. Swift is taking a break

JPMorgan Chase profits jump, warns on inflation

NEW YORK: JPMorgan Chase reported another highly profitable quarter Friday, but warned inflation could persist and said wars in Ukraine and the Middle East mean this “may be the most dangerous time the world has seen in decades.” The lender, the biggest US bank in terms of assets, reported third-quarter