Author: Press Room

Canoes line up at the foot of Old Quebec City in Canada. 50 teams are getting ready to brave dangerous ice slabs and swirling currents.A signal goes off and they launch onto the frozen surface of the river, using metal studded shoes to push the boats.This isn’t an expedition or rescue mission. These athletes are taking part in the extreme sport of ice canoe racing.The 3.2-kilometre race is part of the Quebec Winter Carnival which is one of the biggest cold weather festivals in the world. Known locally as simply ‘Carnaval’ it brings thousands of people to the province every…

One of the most accomplished liars I’ve ever encountered is back in jail. Clint Canning is a persistent fraudster who is now starting a nine year sentence for an investment scam that resulted in 175 mainly elderly victims losing around £2.7 million. His company Base2Trade claimed to make money for clients through online currency and commodity trading, its website promising “Professionalism, security, stability, vision”. Southwark Crown Court in London heard how the fraud began with a company called RMJB Group supplying lists of potential clients – mainly people with little investment experience – who were then cold called by sales…

Jacob Trouba has hit the ground running in the Rangers’ first two games since the All-Star break, landing game-changing hits and punches in the first and notching his first two points in over a month in the second. The Rangers’ captain assisted on Alexis Lafreniere’s goal in the second period and on Mika Zibanejad’s goal in the third to help propel his team to a 4-3 win over the Canucks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Both helpers came in the form of shots from the top of the zone, which were then somehow deflected into Vancouver’s net somehow.…

Well-known underworld figure Allan Meehan has been arrested in a police raid on a home at Benowa Waters on the Gold Coast over claims he had breached the conditions of a Serious Crime Prevention Order.The national boss of the Comanchero bikie gang was taken to a property at Benowa Waters to the Southport Watchhouse at about 6:30am in and is expected to face court later later in the day.Detectives attached to the NSW Police State Crime Command are understood to be on their way to the Gold Coast to extradite the 35-year-old back to Sydney.Mr Meehan known as the ‘Bathrobe…

Credit Suisse has reported its biggest annual loss since the 2008 financial crisis, laying bare the scale of the challenge the bank faces in restoring its fortunes.The lender on Thursday reported a SFr1.4bn ($1.5bn) loss for the fourth quarter, as investment banking revenues slumped and clients pulled money from the group’s wealth management business. The bruising quarter took the bank’s annual loss to SFr7.3bn.Customers withdrew SFr111bn from the group in the final three months of the year, with two-thirds of the outflows coming in October, when the bank was hit by rumours on social media about its financial health.The wealth…

Bitcoin rose today, but it decreased steadily. Today’s values are only marginally better than the all-time low hit on Wednesday, when bitcoin dropped by as much as 4.5%. Ethereum also fell with a value lower than yesterday’s high; this decline has been caused by inflationary concerns and uncertainty in China’s cryptocurrency market. However, the reason for its continued decline could be attributed to the increasing threats of hacking as the number of digital currencies has expanded.North Korean hackers have been attacking cryptocurrency exchanges and utilizing phishing schemes to steal digital money for many years. These attacks have become more frequent recently.…

Toshiba has received a $15bn buyout proposal from a consortium led by a Japanese private equity firm, according to people with the knowledge of the discussions.If the buyout led by Japan Industrial Partners materialises, it would mark Japan’s biggest take-private deal and conclude an eight-year saga that nearly brought the 147-year-old industrial conglomerate to financial collapse.In a statement on Thursday, Toshiba said it received a final acquisition proposal from JIP, which has teamed up with financial services group Orix, chipmaker Rohm and other Japanese companies.“It has just been received today,” the company said, adding that it would “assess the proposal…

What’s on the agendaUkraine was always going to be on the agenda as leaders convene in Brussels, as it has been since the war broke out nearly a year ago.But with Zelenskyy in the room, discussions on military support may be even more pronounced. The Ukrainian leader now wants the West to provide planes for his armies and in London secured training for pilots. This comes less than two weeks after Germany caved and agreed to provide Ukrainian forces with Leopard 2 tanks. Leaders will also get a recap of what was discussed at the EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv last week.But support for Ukraine is not…

TOKYO: Japan said on Thursday (Feb 9) it was coordinating with Washington as it analysed unidentified aerial objects spotted over the country in past years after United States forces shot down an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon. “We are communicating with the United States but we decline to comment on diplomatic exchanges,” chief government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters on Thursday. “Having said that, we are analysing objects observed above Japan in June 2020 and September 2021, including any links to the case in the United States”. A mysterious balloon-like object was spotted over northern Japan in June 2020, with locals…

KUALA LUMPUR: The death toll in the Genting Highlands accident involving a van increased to seven after another victim, who was sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for treatment, succumbed to his injuries. The accident near the 4.8km mark of Jalan Genting Highlands on Wednesday (Feb 8) afternoon had already claimed six victims. Pahang police chief Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the seven who died have been identified as Wong Choun Chiet (van driver), 49; Foong Ah Lan, 67; Lee Moy, 67 ; Goh Siew Kim, 61; Ang Meng Hing, 62; Seow Mee Tin, 72: and Chang Them Kong, 70. Ramli said initial…