China property: rising home sales bode well for sector reeling for last 4 years
By Yulu Ao
Mainland Chinese developers’ hopes for a better start to the new year received a boost as home sales picked up towards the end of 2024, following Chinese authorities’ pledge to “stop prices from sinking further”.
Across 30 major mainland cities, average home sales jumped 86 per cent in the fourth quarter from the previous three-month period, according data from China Real Estate Information Corp (CRIC).
Home sales in the top four tier-one cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen – rose 35 per cent in December from a year earlier, according to CRIC. Compared with the monthly average in the third quarter, sales in December surged 80 per cent, the data showed.
For the year, new home sales in the 30 sample cities fell 23 per cent from 2023, narrowing the decline by 3.75 percentage points in the first 11 months, CRIC data showed.
“It is one of the most important signals for the new cycle of ‘stabilisation’,” said Ding Zuyu, executive director of E-House China Enterprise Holdings. “An [upwards] trend, instead of a transitory sentiment following the easing policies, has been demonstrated.”
Ding said although a correction will be seen in 2025, new home prices are expected to pick up and reach 2019 levels and prices of second-hand homes will reach 2017 levels.
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By Yulu Ao
Mainland Chinese developers’ hopes for a better start to the new year received a boost as home sales picked up towards the end of 2024, following Chinese authorities’ pledge to “stop prices from sinking further”.
Across 30 major mainland cities, average home sales jumped 86 per cent in the fourth quarter from the previous three-month period, according data from China Real Estate Information Corp (CRIC).
Home sales in the top four tier-one cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen – rose 35 per cent in December from a year earlier, according to CRIC. Compared with the monthly average in the third quarter, sales in December surged 80 per cent, the data showed.
For the year, new home sales in the 30 sample cities fell 23 per cent from 2023, narrowing the decline by 3.75 percentage points in the first 11 months, CRIC data showed.
“It is one of the most important signals for the new cycle of ‘stabilisation’,” said Ding Zuyu, executive director of E-House China Enterprise Holdings. “An [upwards] trend, instead of a transitory sentiment following the easing policies, has been demonstrated.”
Ding said although a correction will be seen in 2025, new home prices are expected to pick up and reach 2019 levels and prices of second-hand homes will reach 2017 levels.
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Wayne Osmond, singer and guitarist for million-selling family act The Osmonds, dies at 73
By Associated Press
Wayne Osmond, a singer, guitarist and founding member of the million-selling family act The Osmonds, who were known for such 1970s teen hits as One Bad Apple, Yo-Yo and Down By the Lazy River, has died. He was 73.
Sibling Merrill Osmond posted on his Facebook page that Wayne died this week at a Salt Lake City hospital after suffering a “massive stroke”.
“I’ve never known a man that had more humility. A man with absolutely no guile,” Merrill wrote. “An individual that was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met.”
Wayne Osmond was the fourth oldest of nine children raised in a Mormon household in Ogden, Utah, and the second oldest among the musical performers.
The siblings’ career began in the 1950s when Wayne, Alan, Merrill and Jay sang as a barbershop quartet.
Their popularity grew in the 1960s after being supported by singer Andy Williams, and they peaked as a quintet in the early 1970s, with younger brother Donny Osmond the breakout star.
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By Associated Press
Wayne Osmond, a singer, guitarist and founding member of the million-selling family act The Osmonds, who were known for such 1970s teen hits as One Bad Apple, Yo-Yo and Down By the Lazy River, has died. He was 73.
Sibling Merrill Osmond posted on his Facebook page that Wayne died this week at a Salt Lake City hospital after suffering a “massive stroke”.
“I’ve never known a man that had more humility. A man with absolutely no guile,” Merrill wrote. “An individual that was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met.”
Wayne Osmond was the fourth oldest of nine children raised in a Mormon household in Ogden, Utah, and the second oldest among the musical performers.
The siblings’ career began in the 1950s when Wayne, Alan, Merrill and Jay sang as a barbershop quartet.
Their popularity grew in the 1960s after being supported by singer Andy Williams, and they peaked as a quintet in the early 1970s, with younger brother Donny Osmond the breakout star.
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Rosita Missoni, matriarch of Italian fashion house famous for zigzag knitwear, dies age 93
By Associated Press
Rosita Missoni, the matriarch of the iconic Italian fashion house that made colourful zigzag-patterned knitwear high fashion and helped launch Italian ready-to-wear, has died. She was 93.
Missoni died peacefully on Wednesday, Missoni SpA and the Missoni family said in a joint statement.
Local officials offered condolences on Thursday and recalled Missoni’s ties to the small northern Italian city of Gallarate where the Missoni brand was born in an artisan’s shop in 1953.
Born Rosita Jelmini, Missoni grew up in a family that owned a textile factory that produced shawls.
When she met and married Ottavio Missoni, they founded their eponymous fashion house in Gallarate that would turn into a fashion dynasty, with the couple’s three children and their offspring involved in expanding the brand.
The Missonis got their first break in 1958, when the Rinascente department store commissioned 500 colourful vertically striped shirt dresses – the first to carry the Missoni label.
The Missonis first showed their collection in Milan in 1966 and the brand helped turn the city into a fashion mecca.
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By Associated Press
Rosita Missoni, the matriarch of the iconic Italian fashion house that made colourful zigzag-patterned knitwear high fashion and helped launch Italian ready-to-wear, has died. She was 93.
Missoni died peacefully on Wednesday, Missoni SpA and the Missoni family said in a joint statement.
Local officials offered condolences on Thursday and recalled Missoni’s ties to the small northern Italian city of Gallarate where the Missoni brand was born in an artisan’s shop in 1953.
Born Rosita Jelmini, Missoni grew up in a family that owned a textile factory that produced shawls.
When she met and married Ottavio Missoni, they founded their eponymous fashion house in Gallarate that would turn into a fashion dynasty, with the couple’s three children and their offspring involved in expanding the brand.
The Missonis got their first break in 1958, when the Rinascente department store commissioned 500 colourful vertically striped shirt dresses – the first to carry the Missoni label.
The Missonis first showed their collection in Milan in 1966 and the brand helped turn the city into a fashion mecca.
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South Korea authorities moving to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol: reports
By Reuters
Authorities were en route on Friday to execute an arrest warrant for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Yonhap news agency reported, as a crowd of protesters faced off with police outside his residence and vowed to block any attempt.
Yoon is under criminal investigation for his short-lived martial law attempt on December 3. An arrest would be unprecedented for an incumbent South Korean president.
Yonhap reported that officials from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which is leading a joint team of investigators that include the police and prosecutors, had left their headquarters to execute the warrant.
Broadcaster YTN reported that about 2,800 police had been mobilised in preparation for executing the warrant.
It was unclear exactly how police would make the arrest and whether the presidential security service, which has blocked access by investigators with a search warrant to Yoon’s office and official residence, would try to stop it.
About 100 protesters were gathered in the predawn hours near his official residence, amid local media reports that investigating authorities would soon try to execute an arrest warrant that was approved on Tuesday after Yoon refused summons to appear.
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By Reuters
Authorities were en route on Friday to execute an arrest warrant for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Yonhap news agency reported, as a crowd of protesters faced off with police outside his residence and vowed to block any attempt.
Yoon is under criminal investigation for his short-lived martial law attempt on December 3. An arrest would be unprecedented for an incumbent South Korean president.
Yonhap reported that officials from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), which is leading a joint team of investigators that include the police and prosecutors, had left their headquarters to execute the warrant.
Broadcaster YTN reported that about 2,800 police had been mobilised in preparation for executing the warrant.
It was unclear exactly how police would make the arrest and whether the presidential security service, which has blocked access by investigators with a search warrant to Yoon’s office and official residence, would try to stop it.
About 100 protesters were gathered in the predawn hours near his official residence, amid local media reports that investigating authorities would soon try to execute an arrest warrant that was approved on Tuesday after Yoon refused summons to appear.
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What happened when mainland China recruited Taiwanese for governance
By Amber Wang
Fujian province has become a test bed for mainland China’s push for economic, social and political integration with Taiwan. In this story – the second in a four-part on-the-ground series – Amber Wang looks at a mainland attempt to involve Taiwanese in local government administration.
When Willy Song lined up with his Taiwanese colleagues to start his new job on the mainland in 2018, he joined them in singing the patriotic song “My Chinese Heart”.
The song describes a nostalgic longing for “the motherland” and the performance in Xiamen in the eastern mainland province of Fujian was meant to send a message of unity.
Song, then 29 years old and a former product security employee at a manufacturing company, was among 35 Taiwanese appointed that year to jobs on the lower rungs of the mainland government system.
They were taken on as part of a broader effort to integrate Taiwanese into the mainland’s economy, society, and culture.
Their jobs, in the words of a Xiamen official, were “tailored to their expertise” and covered areas ranging from environmental protection to traditional Chinese culture.
The idea was that by bringing Taiwanese into its governance system, Beijing could win hearts and minds, and lay the foundation for a peaceful reunification with the island.
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By Amber Wang
Fujian province has become a test bed for mainland China’s push for economic, social and political integration with Taiwan. In this story – the second in a four-part on-the-ground series – Amber Wang looks at a mainland attempt to involve Taiwanese in local government administration.
When Willy Song lined up with his Taiwanese colleagues to start his new job on the mainland in 2018, he joined them in singing the patriotic song “My Chinese Heart”.
The song describes a nostalgic longing for “the motherland” and the performance in Xiamen in the eastern mainland province of Fujian was meant to send a message of unity.
Song, then 29 years old and a former product security employee at a manufacturing company, was among 35 Taiwanese appointed that year to jobs on the lower rungs of the mainland government system.
They were taken on as part of a broader effort to integrate Taiwanese into the mainland’s economy, society, and culture.
Their jobs, in the words of a Xiamen official, were “tailored to their expertise” and covered areas ranging from environmental protection to traditional Chinese culture.
The idea was that by bringing Taiwanese into its governance system, Beijing could win hearts and minds, and lay the foundation for a peaceful reunification with the island.
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Asia’s embrace of refurbished smartphones is a trend to dial into in 2025
By Kamala Thiagarajan
After two moribund years, the global smartphone market recovered in 2024, with new shipments forecast to rebound strongly by over 6 per cent. But a rising trend for refurbished phones threatens to derail that recovery in the coming years.
Last year, the average selling price of refurbished smartphones in emerging markets such as China, Southeast Asia and Africa was expected to exceed the global average selling price for new phones for the first time, according to Counterpoint Research.
This growing market shows that the fears and concerns surrounding refurbished smartphones are in retreat. Tanzania, for instance, was still issuing safety warnings over second-hand smartphones in 2023. Worries over device overheating, battery performance, data security and more had, for many years, dissuaded people from buying used phones.
But the refurbished phone market has matured and become well-defined. It has even spawned its own vocabulary: these phones are not old, rather, they are pre-owned, reconditioned, refreshed and recertified.
It is a far cry from the shady, under-the-table transactions of the past, where vendors hawked devices, often stolen, on the sly. Tech giants such as Apple and Samsung now sell their own certified refurbished phones, and top models are available in online marketplaces such as Singapore’s Reebelo and Malaysia’s Mudah.my.
Manufacturer-certified refurbished phones have the advantage of assuring customers that their purchases are really wiped clean of data, with the battery and any defective part replaced. These phones are often cheaper, in mint condition and have been rigorously quality-tested. Many also come with a warranty, typically for a year. They can even help the companies themselves expand their customer base.
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By Kamala Thiagarajan
After two moribund years, the global smartphone market recovered in 2024, with new shipments forecast to rebound strongly by over 6 per cent. But a rising trend for refurbished phones threatens to derail that recovery in the coming years.
Last year, the average selling price of refurbished smartphones in emerging markets such as China, Southeast Asia and Africa was expected to exceed the global average selling price for new phones for the first time, according to Counterpoint Research.
This growing market shows that the fears and concerns surrounding refurbished smartphones are in retreat. Tanzania, for instance, was still issuing safety warnings over second-hand smartphones in 2023. Worries over device overheating, battery performance, data security and more had, for many years, dissuaded people from buying used phones.
But the refurbished phone market has matured and become well-defined. It has even spawned its own vocabulary: these phones are not old, rather, they are pre-owned, reconditioned, refreshed and recertified.
It is a far cry from the shady, under-the-table transactions of the past, where vendors hawked devices, often stolen, on the sly. Tech giants such as Apple and Samsung now sell their own certified refurbished phones, and top models are available in online marketplaces such as Singapore’s Reebelo and Malaysia’s Mudah.my.
Manufacturer-certified refurbished phones have the advantage of assuring customers that their purchases are really wiped clean of data, with the battery and any defective part replaced. These phones are often cheaper, in mint condition and have been rigorously quality-tested. Many also come with a warranty, typically for a year. They can even help the companies themselves expand their customer base.
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US appeal court blocks Biden administration effort to restore net neutrality rules
By Reuters
A US appeal court ruled on Tuesday the Federal Communications Commission did not have legal authority to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules.
The decision is a blow to the outgoing Biden administration that had made restoring the open internet rules a priority. US President Joe Biden signed a 2021 executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate the rules.
A three-judge panel of the Cincinnati-based 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals said the FCC lacked authority to reinstate the rules initially implemented in 2015 by the agency under Democratic former President Barack Obama, but then repealed by the commission in 2017 under Republican former president Donald Trump.
Net-neutrality rules require internet service providers to treat internet data and users equally rather than restricting access, slowing speeds or blocking content for certain users.
The rules also forbid special arrangements in which ISPs give improved network speeds or access to favoured users.
The court cited the Supreme Court’s June decision in a case known as Loper Bright to overturn a 1984 precedent that had given deference to government agencies in interpreting laws they administer, in the latest decision to curb the authority of federal agencies.
“Applying Loper Bright means we can end the FCC’s vacillations,” the court ruled. The decision leaves in place state neutrality rules adopted by California and others but may end more than 20 years of efforts to give federal regulators sweeping oversight over the internet.
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By Reuters
A US appeal court ruled on Tuesday the Federal Communications Commission did not have legal authority to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules.
The decision is a blow to the outgoing Biden administration that had made restoring the open internet rules a priority. US President Joe Biden signed a 2021 executive order encouraging the FCC to reinstate the rules.
A three-judge panel of the Cincinnati-based 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals said the FCC lacked authority to reinstate the rules initially implemented in 2015 by the agency under Democratic former President Barack Obama, but then repealed by the commission in 2017 under Republican former president Donald Trump.
Net-neutrality rules require internet service providers to treat internet data and users equally rather than restricting access, slowing speeds or blocking content for certain users.
The rules also forbid special arrangements in which ISPs give improved network speeds or access to favoured users.
The court cited the Supreme Court’s June decision in a case known as Loper Bright to overturn a 1984 precedent that had given deference to government agencies in interpreting laws they administer, in the latest decision to curb the authority of federal agencies.
“Applying Loper Bright means we can end the FCC’s vacillations,” the court ruled. The decision leaves in place state neutrality rules adopted by California and others but may end more than 20 years of efforts to give federal regulators sweeping oversight over the internet.
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‘Dinosaur highway’ tracks dating back 166 million years discovered in England
By Associated Press
A worker digging up clay in a southern England limestone quarry noticed unusual bumps that led to the discovery of a “dinosaur highway” and nearly 200 tracks that date back 166 million years, researchers said on Thursday.
The extraordinary find made after a team of more than 100 people excavated the Dewars Farm Quarry, in Oxfordshire, in June expands upon previous palaeontology work in the area and offers greater insights into the Middle Jurassic period, researchers at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham said.
“These footprints offer an extraordinary window into the lives of dinosaurs, revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment they inhabited,” said Kirsty Edgar, a micropalaeontology professor at the University of Birmingham.
Four of the sets of tracks that make up the so-called highway show paths taken by gigantic, long-necked, herbivores called sauropods, thought to be Cetiosaurus, a dinosaur that grew to nearly 60 ft (18 metres) in length. A fifth set belonged to the Megalosaurus, a ferocious 9-metre predator that left a distinctive triple-claw print and was the first dinosaur to be scientifically named two centuries ago.
An area where the tracks cross raises questions about possible interactions between the carnivores and herbivores.
“Scientists have known about and been studying Megalosaurus for longer than any other dinosaur on Earth, and yet these recent discoveries prove there is still new evidence of these animals out there, waiting to be found,” said Emma Nicholls, a vertebrate palaeontologist at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
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By Associated Press
A worker digging up clay in a southern England limestone quarry noticed unusual bumps that led to the discovery of a “dinosaur highway” and nearly 200 tracks that date back 166 million years, researchers said on Thursday.
The extraordinary find made after a team of more than 100 people excavated the Dewars Farm Quarry, in Oxfordshire, in June expands upon previous palaeontology work in the area and offers greater insights into the Middle Jurassic period, researchers at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham said.
“These footprints offer an extraordinary window into the lives of dinosaurs, revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment they inhabited,” said Kirsty Edgar, a micropalaeontology professor at the University of Birmingham.
Four of the sets of tracks that make up the so-called highway show paths taken by gigantic, long-necked, herbivores called sauropods, thought to be Cetiosaurus, a dinosaur that grew to nearly 60 ft (18 metres) in length. A fifth set belonged to the Megalosaurus, a ferocious 9-metre predator that left a distinctive triple-claw print and was the first dinosaur to be scientifically named two centuries ago.
An area where the tracks cross raises questions about possible interactions between the carnivores and herbivores.
“Scientists have known about and been studying Megalosaurus for longer than any other dinosaur on Earth, and yet these recent discoveries prove there is still new evidence of these animals out there, waiting to be found,” said Emma Nicholls, a vertebrate palaeontologist at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
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Trump’s TikTok request poses challenge to US Supreme Court, legal analysts say
By Khushboo Razdan
US president-elect Donald Trump’s unusual request to the US Supreme Court that it halt a looming ban on TikTok until after he takes office has legal analysts questioning whether the court will consider or even acknowledge it.
Trump’s request last week came in the form of an amicus brief as the nation’s highest court prepares to consider the constitutionality of a law that requires ByteDance, the Chinese owner of the app, to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese buyer by January 19 or face its ban in the US.
The law asserts that TikTok, a short-video app with some 170 million users in the US, poses a national security risk because its personal data files can be shared with Chinese governmental agencies. The court agreed to take the case following an emergency appeal by TikTok on First Amendment free-speech grounds. Oral arguments are scheduled for January 10.
Trump is to take office on January 20, but in directly requesting a hold on any action, legal analysts said, he was asking the court to step beyond its constitutional role.
In the brief, drafted by John Sauer, Trump’s nominee for solicitor general, Trump is described as “the right constitutional actor to resolve the dispute through political means”.
It argues that only Trump possesses the “consummate deal-making expertise” necessary to broker a resolution that addresses both national security concerns and TikTok’s future.
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By Khushboo Razdan
US president-elect Donald Trump’s unusual request to the US Supreme Court that it halt a looming ban on TikTok until after he takes office has legal analysts questioning whether the court will consider or even acknowledge it.
Trump’s request last week came in the form of an amicus brief as the nation’s highest court prepares to consider the constitutionality of a law that requires ByteDance, the Chinese owner of the app, to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese buyer by January 19 or face its ban in the US.
The law asserts that TikTok, a short-video app with some 170 million users in the US, poses a national security risk because its personal data files can be shared with Chinese governmental agencies. The court agreed to take the case following an emergency appeal by TikTok on First Amendment free-speech grounds. Oral arguments are scheduled for January 10.
Trump is to take office on January 20, but in directly requesting a hold on any action, legal analysts said, he was asking the court to step beyond its constitutional role.
In the brief, drafted by John Sauer, Trump’s nominee for solicitor general, Trump is described as “the right constitutional actor to resolve the dispute through political means”.
It argues that only Trump possesses the “consummate deal-making expertise” necessary to broker a resolution that addresses both national security concerns and TikTok’s future.
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Man who died in Las Vegas Cybertruck was shot in head before explosion, sheriff says
By Associated Press
The person inside the Tesla Cybertruck that burst into flames outside US president-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel suffered a gunshot to the head before the explosion, officials said on Thursday.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that a handgun was found at the feet of the man who has been identified as Matthew Livelsberger. Officials believe the shot was self-inflicted.
Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the Army said in a statement. He had served in the US Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said.
He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valour device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valour. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, according to the statement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday’s explosion but provided no other details.
The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing 14 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack. The FBI said on Thursday that they believe Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from a day earlier that he probably worked with others.
Both Livelsberger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to multiple Army special operations units. However, one of the officials who spoke to Associated Press said there is no overlap in their assignments at the base, now called Fort Liberty.
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By Associated Press
The person inside the Tesla Cybertruck that burst into flames outside US president-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel suffered a gunshot to the head before the explosion, officials said on Thursday.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that a handgun was found at the feet of the man who has been identified as Matthew Livelsberger. Officials believe the shot was self-inflicted.
Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the Army said in a statement. He had served in the US Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said.
He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valour device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valour. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, according to the statement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday’s explosion but provided no other details.
The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing 14 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack. The FBI said on Thursday that they believe Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from a day earlier that he probably worked with others.
Both Livelsberger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to multiple Army special operations units. However, one of the officials who spoke to Associated Press said there is no overlap in their assignments at the base, now called Fort Liberty.
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New Orleans attacker acted alone, supported Islamic State, FBI says
By Associated Press
A US Army veteran who drove a truck into a crowd of New Year’s Day revellers on Bourbon Street, New Orleans had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, but acted alone in the attack that killed at least 14 people, the FBI said on Thursday.
The suspect, who the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said was shot dead at the scene after firing at police, has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texan who once served in Afghanistan.
He drove from Houston to New Orleans on December 31, and posted five videos on Facebook between 1:29am and 3:02am on the morning of the attack in which he said he supported Islamic State, the militant group with fighters in Iraq and Syria, the FBI said.
In the first video, Jabbar said he previously planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned that the media coverage would not focus on the “war between the believers and the disbelievers”, FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said at a press conference.
Jabbar also said in the videos that he had joined Islamic State before last summer and provided his last will and testament, Raia said.
“This was an act of terrorism,” Raia said. “It was premeditated and an evil act.” The FBI was still investigating Jabbar’s “path to radicalisation”, but the evidence reviewed so far showed that he was clearly inspired by Islamic State, Raia said.
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By Associated Press
A US Army veteran who drove a truck into a crowd of New Year’s Day revellers on Bourbon Street, New Orleans had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, but acted alone in the attack that killed at least 14 people, the FBI said on Thursday.
The suspect, who the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said was shot dead at the scene after firing at police, has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texan who once served in Afghanistan.
He drove from Houston to New Orleans on December 31, and posted five videos on Facebook between 1:29am and 3:02am on the morning of the attack in which he said he supported Islamic State, the militant group with fighters in Iraq and Syria, the FBI said.
In the first video, Jabbar said he previously planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned that the media coverage would not focus on the “war between the believers and the disbelievers”, FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said at a press conference.
Jabbar also said in the videos that he had joined Islamic State before last summer and provided his last will and testament, Raia said.
“This was an act of terrorism,” Raia said. “It was premeditated and an evil act.” The FBI was still investigating Jabbar’s “path to radicalisation”, but the evidence reviewed so far showed that he was clearly inspired by Islamic State, Raia said.
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Former cryptocurrency executive Do Kwon to appear in US court on criminal fraud charges
By Reuters
Do Kwon, the South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur behind two digital currencies that lost an estimated US$40 billion in 2022, was set to appear in US court on Thursday to face criminal fraud charges after being extradited from Montenegro this week.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan in March 2023 charged Kwon, who co-founded Terraform Labs and developed the TerraUSD and Luna currencies, with two counts each of securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy.
Kwon has denied wrongdoing. He agreed last June to pay an US$80 million civil fine and be banned from cryptocurrency transactions as part of a US$4.55 billion settlement that he and Terraform reached with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
He is expected to appear before US Magistrate Judge Robert Lehrburger in Manhattan federal court on Thursday afternoon.
Last April, a federal jury in Manhattan found Kwon and Terraform liable in a civil trial for defrauding cryptocurrency investors.
A lawyer for Terraform said in closing arguments that Terraform and Kwon had been truthful about their products and how they worked, even when they failed.
Kwon did not attend that trial because he had been detained in Montenegro since March 2023. Terraform declared bankruptcy last January.
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By Reuters
Do Kwon, the South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur behind two digital currencies that lost an estimated US$40 billion in 2022, was set to appear in US court on Thursday to face criminal fraud charges after being extradited from Montenegro this week.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan in March 2023 charged Kwon, who co-founded Terraform Labs and developed the TerraUSD and Luna currencies, with two counts each of securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy.
Kwon has denied wrongdoing. He agreed last June to pay an US$80 million civil fine and be banned from cryptocurrency transactions as part of a US$4.55 billion settlement that he and Terraform reached with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
He is expected to appear before US Magistrate Judge Robert Lehrburger in Manhattan federal court on Thursday afternoon.
Last April, a federal jury in Manhattan found Kwon and Terraform liable in a civil trial for defrauding cryptocurrency investors.
A lawyer for Terraform said in closing arguments that Terraform and Kwon had been truthful about their products and how they worked, even when they failed.
Kwon did not attend that trial because he had been detained in Montenegro since March 2023. Terraform declared bankruptcy last January.
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Air China, China Southern appear to avoid south Russia after deadly Azerbaijani crash
By Hayley WongAmber Wang
Some Chinese carriers appear to be avoiding the airspace over southwestern Russia after a deadly Azerbaijan Airlines crash that officials in Baku have blamed on the Russian military.
China is among the few countries still using Russian airspace for civilian flights since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, flights between western China’s Urumqi and Georgian capital Tbilisi have circumvented southwest Russia’s Dagestan region since an Azerbaijan Airlines came down on Christmas Day, according to tracking data from Flightradar24.
Flights operated by China Southern Airlines and Air China since December 26 flew into Georgian air space through Azerbaijan after crossing the Caspian Sea, and took the same route back, the data showed.
Changes were also seen in China Southern flights connecting Hungarian capital Budapest to Guangzhou in south China.
Instead of passing through the Dagestan region towards Hungary after crossing the Caspian Sea, China Southern planes in the past week have flown across central and western Russia before flying south to reach Budapest – a route that the airline sometimes took even before the crash.
Most Chinese carriers have continued to use their original routes across Russian airspace, especially those bound for western Europe and Scandinavia.
Euronews reported in July that China had the largest number of airlines using Russian airspace. Russia closed its airspace to most Western airlines in 2022, in retaliation for sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
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By Hayley WongAmber Wang
Some Chinese carriers appear to be avoiding the airspace over southwestern Russia after a deadly Azerbaijan Airlines crash that officials in Baku have blamed on the Russian military.
China is among the few countries still using Russian airspace for civilian flights since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, flights between western China’s Urumqi and Georgian capital Tbilisi have circumvented southwest Russia’s Dagestan region since an Azerbaijan Airlines came down on Christmas Day, according to tracking data from Flightradar24.
Flights operated by China Southern Airlines and Air China since December 26 flew into Georgian air space through Azerbaijan after crossing the Caspian Sea, and took the same route back, the data showed.
Changes were also seen in China Southern flights connecting Hungarian capital Budapest to Guangzhou in south China.
Instead of passing through the Dagestan region towards Hungary after crossing the Caspian Sea, China Southern planes in the past week have flown across central and western Russia before flying south to reach Budapest – a route that the airline sometimes took even before the crash.
Most Chinese carriers have continued to use their original routes across Russian airspace, especially those bound for western Europe and Scandinavia.
Euronews reported in July that China had the largest number of airlines using Russian airspace. Russia closed its airspace to most Western airlines in 2022, in retaliation for sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
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Hong Kong box office receipts fell to HK$1.34 billion in 2024, lowest since 2011
By Danny Mok
Hong Kong’s box office revenue slumped to its lowest level in 13 years in 2024, despite drama The Last Dance becoming the city’s highest-grossing film and local movies selling more tickets than Hollywood productions for the first time since 2004.
Total revenue amounted to HK$1.34 billion (US$172.5 million) last year, according to figures released by Hong Kong Box Office Limited on Thursday.
The earnings were down by 6.2 per cent compared with 2023’s HK$1.43 billion and marked the weakest performance since 2011, when receipts totalled HK$1.39 billion.
At least eight cinemas ceased operations last year.
“The box office performance in 2024 was not satisfactory,” the industry tracking company said. “We hope residents who love movies can go to the cinema more often in the new year and support Hong Kong cinema and the film industry.”
While the takings for 2024 were weak, ticket sales for Hong Kong-produced films exceeded those of Hollywood films for the first time since 2004.
Local production The Last Dance has earned more than HK$142 million since its debut on November 9, making the poignant drama about the funeral trade and family traditions the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in Hong Kong history.
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By Danny Mok
Hong Kong’s box office revenue slumped to its lowest level in 13 years in 2024, despite drama The Last Dance becoming the city’s highest-grossing film and local movies selling more tickets than Hollywood productions for the first time since 2004.
Total revenue amounted to HK$1.34 billion (US$172.5 million) last year, according to figures released by Hong Kong Box Office Limited on Thursday.
The earnings were down by 6.2 per cent compared with 2023’s HK$1.43 billion and marked the weakest performance since 2011, when receipts totalled HK$1.39 billion.
At least eight cinemas ceased operations last year.
“The box office performance in 2024 was not satisfactory,” the industry tracking company said. “We hope residents who love movies can go to the cinema more often in the new year and support Hong Kong cinema and the film industry.”
While the takings for 2024 were weak, ticket sales for Hong Kong-produced films exceeded those of Hollywood films for the first time since 2004.
Local production The Last Dance has earned more than HK$142 million since its debut on November 9, making the poignant drama about the funeral trade and family traditions the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in Hong Kong history.
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Hong Kong public dental clinics log 26% absence rate despite e-booking launch
By Sammy Heung
Hong Kong’s public dental clinics recorded an overall absence rate of 26.5 per cent on the first two working days of an online booking system’s launch, prompting authorities to consider introducing a waiting list to ensure proper use of services.
The Department of Health said 111 of the 151 people who were allocated a quota spot were treated on Tuesday and Thursday at the six dental clinics using the new registration system.
Three of the clinics using the new booking system were located in Yuen Long, Fanling and Tsuen Wan, which offered appointments on Tuesday, while another three offering services on Thursday were in Tai Po, Kowloon City and Sai Kung.
But 40 people who were given a quota spot did not show up for the appointments, with 23 of them aged 65 or older.
“Some people, who were given a quota spot but did not attend the appointments, said they were absent due to other engagements or that they forgot about the bookings,” the department said.
“Some were also not aware that public dental sessions were only offering emergency dental services.”
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By Sammy Heung
Hong Kong’s public dental clinics recorded an overall absence rate of 26.5 per cent on the first two working days of an online booking system’s launch, prompting authorities to consider introducing a waiting list to ensure proper use of services.
The Department of Health said 111 of the 151 people who were allocated a quota spot were treated on Tuesday and Thursday at the six dental clinics using the new registration system.
Three of the clinics using the new booking system were located in Yuen Long, Fanling and Tsuen Wan, which offered appointments on Tuesday, while another three offering services on Thursday were in Tai Po, Kowloon City and Sai Kung.
But 40 people who were given a quota spot did not show up for the appointments, with 23 of them aged 65 or older.
“Some people, who were given a quota spot but did not attend the appointments, said they were absent due to other engagements or that they forgot about the bookings,” the department said.
“Some were also not aware that public dental sessions were only offering emergency dental services.”
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Rare butterfly flies 3,000km from Japan to Hong Kong in migratory record
By Danny Mok
Researchers in Hong Kong have discovered that a rare butterfly has flown 3,000km (1,864 miles) from Japan, setting a new world record for the longest migration recorded for the species.
The chestnut tiger, or Parantica sita, which belongs to the danaid group, was found in Repulse Bay by Ling Yuet-fung, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Biological Sciences, on December 21.
A tag on its wing bore Japanese characters and the date August 18, indicating that it had been tagged and released in Fukushima four months earlier, a university spokesman said on Thursday.
Using the URL-branded stickers on the butterfly wings, Ling, together with Timothy Bonebrake and Emily Jones in the school’s Danaid Butterfly Research project, managed to contact Masayoshi Shimizu and Hiroki Takizawa in Japan, who had tagged and released the butterfly.
The adult male chestnut tiger was found to be at least 124 days old and had travelled more than 3,000km, setting a record for the longest known migration of the species.
“It’s an astonishing feat. For a little insect like this to fly more than 3,000km and do so for more than 100 days just shows the physiological capacity of these creatures,” Bonebrake said.
Ling released the butterfly back into the wild after recording its data.
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By Danny Mok
Researchers in Hong Kong have discovered that a rare butterfly has flown 3,000km (1,864 miles) from Japan, setting a new world record for the longest migration recorded for the species.
The chestnut tiger, or Parantica sita, which belongs to the danaid group, was found in Repulse Bay by Ling Yuet-fung, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Biological Sciences, on December 21.
A tag on its wing bore Japanese characters and the date August 18, indicating that it had been tagged and released in Fukushima four months earlier, a university spokesman said on Thursday.
Using the URL-branded stickers on the butterfly wings, Ling, together with Timothy Bonebrake and Emily Jones in the school’s Danaid Butterfly Research project, managed to contact Masayoshi Shimizu and Hiroki Takizawa in Japan, who had tagged and released the butterfly.
The adult male chestnut tiger was found to be at least 124 days old and had travelled more than 3,000km, setting a record for the longest known migration of the species.
“It’s an astonishing feat. For a little insect like this to fly more than 3,000km and do so for more than 100 days just shows the physiological capacity of these creatures,” Bonebrake said.
Ling released the butterfly back into the wild after recording its data.
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Taiwan prosecutors widen corruption probe into third party leader Ko Wen-je
By Xinlu Liang
Taiwanese prosecutors are investigating new corruption allegations against Ko Wen-je, the former leader of the Taiwan People’s Party, the island’s third party.
Ko, whose party holds the balance of power in the legislature, has already been charged with fraud over a real estate deal he approved as mayor of Taipei as well as misusing campaign funds.
Prosecutors are now investigating Ko and his former deputy mayor, Peng Zhen-sheng, for failing to account for money they made during their time in office.
Both have said the money came from legitimate sources, such as public speaking engagements, but prosecutors say the money could not be explained by their incomes as public servants.
Last week, Ko was charged with accepting at least NT$17 million (US$520,300) in bribes over a real estate transaction while serving as Taipei’s mayor from 2014 to 2022 and misappropriating a further NT$42 million in political donations – accusations he denies.
Ko has said the charges against him are “politically motivated” but resigned as head of the TPP this week.
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By Xinlu Liang
Taiwanese prosecutors are investigating new corruption allegations against Ko Wen-je, the former leader of the Taiwan People’s Party, the island’s third party.
Ko, whose party holds the balance of power in the legislature, has already been charged with fraud over a real estate deal he approved as mayor of Taipei as well as misusing campaign funds.
Prosecutors are now investigating Ko and his former deputy mayor, Peng Zhen-sheng, for failing to account for money they made during their time in office.
Both have said the money came from legitimate sources, such as public speaking engagements, but prosecutors say the money could not be explained by their incomes as public servants.
Last week, Ko was charged with accepting at least NT$17 million (US$520,300) in bribes over a real estate transaction while serving as Taipei’s mayor from 2014 to 2022 and misappropriating a further NT$42 million in political donations – accusations he denies.
Ko has said the charges against him are “politically motivated” but resigned as head of the TPP this week.
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