Author: Justin M. Larson
Italian cooking has been awarded special cultural heritage status by the United Nations’ cultural agency Unesco. National favourites including pizza are already on Unesco’s list of “intangible cultural heritage”, but now Italian cooking traditions and the way they are practiced and transmitted have been awarded. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has been pushing for her country’s cuisine to be recognised since her election, said: “For us Italians, cuisine is not just food or a collection of recipes. It is so much more: it is culture, tradition, work, wealth.” For millions of fans the news confirms what they already believed -…
A skydiver crash landed onto a traffic light in Mexico City on 9 December. Local police said the man didn’t receive any injuries and a civic judge determined he had not damaged city infrastructure, according to the Mexico City security ministry. Pedestrians stopped to help him detangle his parachute. Source link
John LaurensonBusiness reporter, Lugano, SwitzerlandAFP via Getty ImagesShops and restaurants across the Swiss city of Lugano now accept bitcoinIn a McDonald’s by a lake surrounded by mountains, in the centre of the Swiss city of Lugano, a customer orders coffee.”Can I pay with bitcoin?” he asks, and the person behind the counter holds out what looks like a credit card payment terminal.It is in fact a machine for paying by crypto currency. The equipment has been distributed free to local retail businesses by the city council.The buyer pays by contactless, from the bitcoin wallet on his mobile phone. The bill…
The Venezuelan opposition leader made her first public appearance in 11 months moments before the interview. Source link
Andrew HardingParis correspondent, MarseilleAFP via Getty ImagesDrug crime has skyrocketed in Marseille, France’s second largest cityWarning: This article contains disturbing details from the start.A group of children spotted Adel’s body on their way to school, just as his parents were heading to the police station to report him missing. A grotesque, charred silhouette, reclining, with one knee raised, as if lounging on one of Marseille’s nearby beaches.He was 15 when he died, in the usual way: a bullet in the head, then petrol poured over his slim corpse and set on fire.Someone even filmed the scene on the beach, the…
Kayla Epstein,Tiffany WertheimerandYang TianWatch: BBC speaks to Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina MachadoVenezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who has been in hiding for months, has told the BBC that she knows “exactly the risks” she’s taking by travelling to Norway to collect her Nobel Peace Prize.Machado appeared in Oslo in the middle of the night, waving from the balcony of a hotel. It was the first time she has been seen in public since January.The 58-year-old made the covert journey despite a travel ban and a threat from the Venezuelan government that she would be labelled as a…
Snapchat is the most commonly-used social media platform in reported child exploitation and abuse offences, according to new police figures.In 2024, 122,768 child sexual exploitation offences were recorded – an increase of 7,279, or 6%, on 2023. Child sexual exploitation and abuse online increased by 26%, with 51,672 crimes recorded – 42% of the total.Some 11,912 were on Snapchat, followed by Meta-owned WhatsApp and Instagram on 1,870 and 1,705.Acting Chief Constable Becky Riggs, national lead for child protection and abuse investigation, said social media platforms must do more to report crime and stop underage images being shared. “I know that…
A slogan related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) is displayed on a screen in Intel pavilion, during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 16, 2024. Denis Balibouse | ReutersBig Tech is doubling down on investing billions in India, drawn by its abundance of resources for building data centers, a large talent and digital user pool, and market opportunity.In under 24 hours, Microsoft and Amazon pledged more than $50 billion toward India’s cloud and AI infrastructure, while Intel on Monday announced plans to make chips in the country to capitalize on its growing PC demand and…
The tariffs will apply to goods from China and other nations. Washington has been pressuring Mexico to move away from dealing with China. Source link
Mexican lawmakers have approved a package of new tariffs, impacting hundreds of products, many of which come from China.The measures, which President Claudia Sheinbaum has said are needed to boost domestic production, were passed by the Mexican Senate on Wednesday.The levies are set to take effect on 1 January 2026 and will apply to goods like metals, cars, clothing and appliances. Dozens of countries that do not have a free trade agreement with Mexico will be affected, including Thailand, India and Indonesia.The move comes as Mexico is in negotiations with the US over steep import taxes that President Donald Trump…
Illustration of the SK Hynix company logo seen displayed on a smartphone screen.Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesSouth Korea’s SK Hynix on Wednesday confirmed that it is weighing a U.S. listing as the memory chipmaker’s valuation soars on global demand for artificial intelligence hardware.The company at the center of the AI infrastructure boom said in a regulatory filing that it was “reviewing various measures to enhance corporate value, including a U.S. stock market listing utilizing treasury shares,” while noting that no final decision has been made.A U.S. listing would give American investors direct access to SK Hynix shares, which…
María Corina Machado, who spent over a year in hiding in Venezuela, greeted supporters in Oslo, hours after her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in her name. Source link
Watch: Video shows US military seizing oil tanker off Venezuela coastUS forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said, marking a sharp escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s government.”We have just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela – a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually,” Trump told reporters at the White House.Releasing a video of the seizure, Attorney General Pam Bondi described the vessel as a “crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran”.Caracas swiftly denounced the action, calling it an…
Portugal is facing severe disruption to transport, flights, hospitals, schools and other public services on Thursday, as the two main union federations stage a general strike over unprecedented labour reforms.The last time the CGTP and the generally less militant UGT joined forces was during the eurozone debt crisis in 2013, when a “troika” of international institutions demanded cuts in salaries and pensions as part of Portugal’s bailout.Twelve years later, Portugal’s economy has become the fastest growing in the eurozone in recent months, but Prime Minister Luís Montenegro says it is still necessary to tackle “rigidities” in the labour market “so…
Shibuya crossing in known to be the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing© Marco Bottigelli | Moment | Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets climbed higher on Thursday, following the Federal Reserve’s third rate cut of the year. The U.S central bank cut the Federal Funds rate by 25 basis points to 3.5%-3.75%, and signalled that it was probably done cutting for now.Fed Chair Jerome Powell, at his post-meeting news conference, said the reduction puts the Fed in a comfortable position as far as rates go.”We are well-positioned to wait and see how the economy evolves,” Powell said, and noted President Donald Trump’s tariffs have…
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the situation in South Kivu province has deteriorated sharply since 2 December due to heavy fighting across multiple territories, including Uvira, Walungu, Mwenga, Shabunda, Kabare, Fizi and Kalehe.According to media reports, members of the armed group M23 entered the key city of Uvira on Wednesday and residents described a sense of fear and uncertainty.Radio Okapi, run by the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, reported that more than 74 civilians have been killed and at least 83 wounded in clashes between Congolese forces and armed groups since early December. The station…
An environmental group is suing, saying federal law requires an image of public lands, not the president. Source link
The fighting in Congo continues despite Washington’s claims to have brokered an end to the conflict. Source link
The US Department of Justice has released 45-second clip showing what it says is the US military seizing an oil tanker near Venezuela. The footage shows military helicopters approaching the tanker and what appears to be US troops boarding it. The operation, led by the US Coast Guard, was announced by President Donald Trump on Wednesday.According to US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who posted the video online, the tanker was used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. Source link
The seizure comes as the United States builds up its forces in the Caribbean as part of a pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro, the leader of Venezuela. Source link
ReutersThe former French president wrote about his brief imprisonment for criminal conspiracyRushed out in under three weeks, Nicolas Sarkozy’s new book “A Prisoner’s Diary” has plenty of colour about what it’s like for a former president to find himself in the isolation wing of a French jail.We learn that prisoner number 320535 had a 12 square metre cell, equipped with a bed, desk, fridge, shower and television. There was a window, but the view was blocked by a massive plastic panel placed outside.”It was clean and light enough,” writes Sarkozy. “One could almost have thought one was in a bottom-of-the-range…
European leaders say “intensive work” will continue in the coming days on a US-led plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war, after a joint phone call with President Donald Trump.UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said they “agreed that this was a critical moment – for Ukraine, its people and for shared security across the Euro-Atlantic region”.A White House official confirmed the call took place on Wednesday but did not give details. It comes the day after Trump called European leaders “weak”, suggesting the US could scale back support for Ukraine. In…
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Surgeons at Rambam Eye Institute have made medical history.They restored sight to a legally blind patient using a fully 3D printed corneal implant grown entirely from cultured human corneal cells. This marked the first time a corneal implant that did not rely on donor tissue had ever been transplanted into a human eye.Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM…
The Southern Transitional Council has seized control of parts of Yemen over the past week, with ambitions to create a “south Arabian state.” Source link
