Thousands in Taiwan and China celebrate the Lantern Festival with high hopes and rice dumplings

Canadians are voting today to decide whether the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, or the Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, will govern. Eligible voters include all Canadian citizens, excluding the chief electoral officer and the governor general, who abstains from voting. Key issues in the election include tariffs imposed by President Trump and economic concerns like inflation, with both major parties promising tax cuts and increased military spending amid a backdrop of...

Houthi rebels in Yemen report that 68 people were killed and 47 injured in a US strike on a detention center for African migrants in Saada. The rebels, who control north-western Yemen, claim the facility, managed by the International Organization for Migration and the Red Cross, was unlawfully targeted, labeling it as 'a full-fledged war crime.' The US military has yet to issue a response to these allegations. Full Article

IBM announced a significant investment of $150 billion in U.S. manufacturing, with over $30 billion allocated for research and development to support the production of mainframe and quantum computers domestically. CEO Arvind Krishna emphasized the importance of technology in shaping the future and reaffirmed IBM's commitment to American jobs and manufacturing, which has been a core focus since its inception. This investment coincides with President Trump's tariff policies aimed at encouraging U.S. manufacturing expansion. Full...

The ABC's Q&A program sparked heated debate over Welcome to Country ceremonies, with accusations of “gutter politics” and “straw man” arguments among panellists. Audience member Peter questioned how to resolve the contentious issue amid political division between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton, with Dutton suggesting that excessive ceremonies diminish their significance, while Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek defended their appropriateness for Anzac Day. Greens leader Adam Bandt criticized Dutton's approach as misinformation, emphasizing the need for...

SummaryOn Monday, a massive power outage struck Spain and parts of Portugal and France, disrupting transport networks and mobile communications, with authorities investigating a potential cyber attack as the cause. The blackout, which cut off over 10GW of demand, affected millions, halting trains, delaying flights, and causing traffic lights to fail, prompting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to hold a crisis meeting. While efforts to restore power began, full recovery was expected to take 6 to...

Katie Amess, the daughter of the murdered Conservative MP David Amess, has called for the Irish-language rap group Kneecap to apologize for allegedly promoting violence against politicians. This follows the release of a video from a November 2023 concert where a band member reportedly stated, “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” Counter-terrorism police are currently reviewing the video for its threatening content. Full Article