Author: i2wtc

Vladimir Smirnov/Sputnik/Pool/Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend an official welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea on June 19, 2024. CNN — Thousands of North Koreans lined Pyongyang’s wide boulevards on Wednesday, waving Russian and North Korean flags and bouquets of flowers and chanting “Welcome Putin!” as Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years. Putin was greeted with wild fanfare along with Kim Jong Un at a welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in the heart of the North Korean capital,…

Organizers said Tuesday night’s celebration celebrated freedom, equality and opportunity. PHOENIX — Tuesday night was a celebration of Black-owned businesses and their success in the Valley. The Arizona Black Chamber hosted dozens of area entrepreneurs for its Juneteenth Vision Forward celebration. The event was a tribute to Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the United States, but also a message about how Black-owned businesses can move forward and become even more successful in the future. The celebration commemorated freedom, equality and opportunity. “We’re celebrating this monumental occasion,” said Celeste Talley, owner of Simply Celeste Catering in Phoenix, “and…

India is desperate to secure exploration rights for a cobalt-rich underwater mountain in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but its bid faces competing claims with Sri Lanka also seeking to mine the precious mineral in the region. The urgency of India’s application stems from concerns about China’s presence in the Indian Ocean, with the world’s second-largest economy already dominating the global cobalt supply chain, Indian officials and analysts told Al Jazeera. Cobalt is a critical mineral used widely in electric vehicles and batteries and is seen as a key element in the transition to green energy. India approached the…

The final roster of men’s water polo players who will represent the United States at the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics was announced Tuesday, and the majority of the players have ties to Southern California. Nine of the 13 players selected are from Southern California, five of whom attended UCLA or USC. Ben Hallock, a Westlake Village native who captains the boys’ team, said the 2024 squad brings more experience because 10 of his team members competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (which was postponed due to COVID-19). “There’s a little bit of a calm vibe around the team,” said Hallock,…

Stay up to date with free updatesJust sign up Global migration myFT Digest – delivered straight to your inbox.Ecuador will suspend its visa waiver agreement with China, citing an “alarming increase” in arrivals after the South American country became a key stop on the global migrant route to the United States.The country’s foreign ministry said nearly half of the Chinese tourists who entered Ecuador did not leave the country through “regular routes” and did not leave within the allowed 90 days.Many migrants from around the world land in Ecuador, which has fewer visa restrictions than other South American countries, before…

Down icon An icon in the shape of a downward angle. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun arrives at a Senate hearing on Boeing’s broken safety culture in Washington, DC. Family members of those killed in the crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610 hold up photos of their loved ones. Andrew Harnick/Getty Images Lawmakers grilled Boeing CEO David Calhoun about the company’s safety standards during a hearing on Tuesday.Ahead of the hearing, a Senate subcommittee released a new report filled with new allegations against Boeing.But Calhoun insisted at the hearing that he was “proud” of the company’s…

by Triduc Wednesday, June 19, 2024 12:06pm GMT+7 F88 Business Joint Stock Company (F88), operator of the F88 brand pawnshop chain in Vietnam, recently had its development outlook upgraded to “stable” by domestic credit rating agency FiinRatings. Strong operating performance, diversified capital mobilization capacity and significant reduction in non-performing loan ratio are the “pillars” that have contributed to F88’s remarkable “turnaround” in Fiin Ratings’ independent credit rating report. F88 store in Hanoi. Photo provided by the company. Despite the downward trend in the consumer finance industry due to reduced market demand caused by the slowing economic recovery, F88 has maintained…

With the passing of Willie Mays on Tuesday, baseball lost a major legend and, to some, the greatest player of all time.From the objective statistics to the subjective anecdotes, there are endless ways to celebrate Mays’ 23-year major league career. He was the greatest offensive player ever to play center field and produced some of the most iconic defensive highlights. He dominated, he entertained, and he lives on in the memories of all who witnessed his career.Hits: 3,293. Home runs: 660. All-Star selections: 24. Gold Glove awards: 12. MVP awards: 2 (some say he could have won more). Home run…

“This kind of project always has a great impact on the general public. In the case of Taylor Swift, this is even more evident given her international influence,” says Italian designer Alberta Ferretti, who designed several of the flowing dresses from the ‘Folklore’/’Evermore’ era. “Creating the outfits for The Eras Tour has yielded tangible results, both in terms of social media engagement (posts related to this project were the most successful this year) and traffic to the brand’s e-commerce from US users. The US market has gradually become our largest market in terms of revenue, recording a 34% growth year-on-year,…

MANILA/HONG KONG (Reuters) – When senior Philippine officials gathered in the Presidential Policy Room last February, they faced a stark choice.Military and intelligence leaders looked on as Coast Guard officials showed photos of a military-grade laser beam that China allegedly fired at a Philippine ship in the disputed waters days earlier.Eduardo Ano, national security adviser and chairman of the South China Sea Task Force, had to decide whether to release the photos and risk angering Beijing, or to refrain from releasing them to avoid provoking China’s larger neighbour.”The public has a right to know,” the retired general told the officials.…