China Fines Comedy Troupe $2m For Joke About The Military
A Chinese comedy troupe has been slapped with a 14.7m yuan ($2.1m; £1.7m) penalty over a joke about the military that invoked a slogan from President Xi Jinping. The quip, which likened the behaviour of a comedian's dogs to military conduct, irked authorities. They said Shanghai Xiaoguo Culture Media Co and comic Li Haoshi had "humiliated the people's army". The company accepted...
WWE Superstar, Billy Graham Dies At 79
WWE Legend, Billy Graham is dead. Billy passed on at the age of 79 on Wednesday. He had been on life support for three weeks after battling congestive heart failure, diabetes, hearing loss, and a significant infection in his ears and skull. His wife Valerie announced on Monday, May 15, that his doctors wanted to take Billy off life support Monday night,...
Montana Becomes First US State To Ban TikTok
Montana became the first US state to outlaw TikTok on Wednesday, with the law due to go into force next year as the debate over the app's effects and security heats up. The prohibition, which Governor Greg Gianforte signed into law, will serve as a legal test for a national ban on the Chinese-owned platform, which politicians in Washington are...
Russia Slams Entry Ban On Obama, 499 Others
In reaction to Washington's penalties, Russia claimed on Friday that it has barred 500 Americans from entering the country, including former President Barack Obama. “In response to the anti-Russian sanctions regularly imposed by the Biden administration… entry into the Russian Federation is closed for 500 Americans,” the foreign ministry said, adding that Obama was among those on the list. The United...
Facebook Owner Fined €1.2bn For Mishandling Data
Facebook's owner, Meta, has been fined €1.2bn (£1bn) for mishandling people's data when transferring it between Europe and the United States. Issued by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), it is the largest fine imposed under the EU's General Data Protection Regulation privacy law. GDPR sets out rules companies must follow to transfer user data outside of the EU. Meta says it will...
Islam Scholar Tariq Ramadan Cleared Of Swiss Rape Charges
Renowned Islamic studies scholar Tariq Ramadan has been cleared of rape and sexual coercion by a Swiss court. Mr. Ramadan, who is a Swiss citizen, is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. The case was brought by a Swiss woman who said she had been raped by Mr. Ramadan in a Geneva hotel in 2008. A convert...
Legendary Singer Tina Turner Is Dead
Tina Turner – one of rock’s great vocalists and most charismatic performers – has died aged 83, her spokesperson has confirmed. The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll died after a long illness at her home in Küsnacht near Zurich in Switzerland. Tina's spokesman confirmed she died "peacefully" at home and added: "With her, the world loses a music legend and a...
Vietnam Noodle Vendor Jailed For Five Years
A noodle vendor in Vietnam who parodied one of the country's most powerful ministers has been jailed for five-and-a-half years for anti-state propaganda. Bui Tuan Lam became famous when he posted a video in 2021 mimicking the trademark gestures of the high-end London-based restaurateur Salt Bae. A minister had been previously filmed eating a gold-leaf-covered steak in a Salt Bae video,...
Police Arrest Man For Killing Four In Japan Gun Attack
Japanese police on Friday detained a suspect who had holed up in a building after allegedly killing four people, including two police officers, in a gun and knife attack. The man was taken into custody outside a farm near the city of Nakano in the Nagano region, with police confirming a fourth fatality overnight — an elderly woman who was found...
Fresh Clashes As NATO Troops Called InTo Northern Kosovo Towns
Nato has condemned as "totally unacceptable" attacks by demonstrators in Kosovo that left at least 30 of its peacekeepers injured. Police and Nato troops clashed with Serb protesters in the north where there has been unrest over the installation of ethnic Albanian mayors. Tear gas and stun grenades were used to deter protesters in Zvecan after they tried to invade a...
