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Meet Russell Brand’s wife, Laura, who has stood by him through his rape trial

English actor and comedian Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault. He was recently on trial for four weeks over sexual misconduct allegations, including a 2009 rape and the sexual assault of three female television and radio workers b…

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Registering to vote in 2028? Here’s what you need to know

MANILA, Philippines — Planning to vote in the 2028 elections but have yet to register? Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you complete your voter registration, including the qualifications, requirements and documents you need to prepare. Step 1: Ensure your eligibility To register as a voter, applicants must meet t…

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Indonesia’s 100GW solar plan needs China, but who pays the US$73 billion bill?

Indonesia is turning to China for a major expansion of solar power and energy storage, but a new report warns that a multibillion-dollar funding gap and demands for greater domestic control will complicate the plan as the country’s energy ties deepen. The report, published on Monday by the Jakarta-based Centre of Ec…

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Chinese delivery rider’s death in Melbourne ignites safety debate ahead of poll

The killing of a Chinese food delivery rider in Melbourne has renewed safety concerns across the city just weeks ahead of the Victorian state election, where law and order is expected to be a key campaign battleground. Feng Jianming, a 47-year-old Chinese national from Shaanxi province, worked as a rider for HungryP…

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Disgraced former leader Sheikh Hasina plans return to Bangladesh after two years in exile

Former prime minister faces death penalty upon return after being sentenced in absentia over deaths in 2024 uprisingSheikh Hasina is “confident” she will return to Bangladesh in December, according to exiled members of her party, after the disgraced former prime minister applied for a new passport this week.Hasina h…

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Wilcox and Berrada poised to tell Ratcliffe in Monaco that Carrick should be sacked

Manchester United executives to settle head coach’s fateMauricio Pochettino a strong candidate to take overManchester United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, and chief executive, Omar Berrada, are expected to travel to Monaco on Tuesday to meet Sir Jim Ratcliffe and recommend the sacking of Michael Carrick.Wilc…

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Killing the Pope review – the truth behind the attempted murder of John Paul II

Was the failed assassination of the Polish pope a Soviet plot or simply the work of a deranged hitman?On the afternoon of Wednesday 13 May 1981, St Peter’s Square in Rome was packed with more than 10,000 pilgrims, excited to see the charismatic John Paul II, formerly Karol Wojtyla, archbishop of Kraków. Two and a ha…

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Richard Li’s FWD sets world record with sale of US$318m life insurance policy

FWD Private (Bermuda), a unit of Hong Kong-listed FWD Group founded by billionaire Richard Li Tzar-kai, has set a new Guinness World Record by selling a US$318 million life insurance policy, the companies said in separate announcements on Tuesday. The record-breaking sale surpasses the previous record of US$300 mill…

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Nvidia’s Jensen Huang scandal casts shadow over South Korea’s chip ‘bromance’

South Korea is facing growing concerns over the fallout from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s alleged affair with a woman suspected of being a Chinese spy, amid fears that the scandal could disrupt global AI supply chains and trigger tighter US export controls on Seoul’s semiconductor champions. The highly publicised “brom…

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France Blames Iran For Cyberattack That Paralyzed Supermarket Freezers, Vows Retaliation For "Sabotage"

France Blames Iran For Cyberattack That Paralyzed Supermarket Freezers, Vows Retaliation For "Sabotage" France accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of masterminding last month's cyberattack, which disrupted 700 of the country's 10,000 supermarkets and struck deep inside the country's food supply chain.Fo…

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Marcos wants South China Sea code of conduct finalized during Asean

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to finalize the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea during the upcoming 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit, according to Palace Press Officer Claire Castro. At a briefing on Monday, Castro said sealing the agreement has long …

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Britons stockpiling water and food tins but not panic buying, figures show

Shoppers appear to have taken government’s Be Ready campaign seriously, retail analysts sayBusiness live – latest updatesBritish shoppers have been stocking up on essentials such as bottled water, tinned goods and hand sanitiser, but did not panic buy after the government advised people to prepare for emergencies, s…

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Eurovision makes historic Asian debut, but will Gen Z fans tune in?

Eurovision, the live song contest that has launched the likes of Abba, Celine Dion and Olivia Newton-John onto the world stage, is set to make its Asia debut in Bangkok this weekend, with a coterie of singers from South Korea and Bangladesh to Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Organisers of the 11-country contest are …

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As China extends rare earth controls pause, pricing and financing hold back EU supply push

As Beijing announced a two-month extension to its rare earth export control pause, European industry insiders welcomed a positive change of mindset in the bloc’s efforts to reduce its dependency on imports of rare earths and other raw materials but cautioned that problems remained, especially in financing and regula…

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Chinese investment in African manufacturing could change the world

Africa is seeing a potentially historic transformation in its economic relationship with China. After two decades in which Chinese engagement was primarily associated with infrastructure construction, resource extraction and commodity trade, a new phase is emerging. Chinese companies are increasingly establishing ma…

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