Author: Press Room

Writer Zoe Rosi believes she was drugged and raped by a man she met on Tinder in 2018 who at first had seemed “sweet and charming”, and she’s sharing her story to warn other womenA woman who says her Tinder date spiked her drink then raped her is warning other women to be extra vigilant. Writer Zoe Rosi, 36, felt like she’d won the lottery after matching with a man who seemed “sweet and charming”. He was, she thought, “a cut above your average Tinder guy”, even taking the time to read a book she’d written. However Zoe believes this…

SEOUL: South Korean officials are considering creating a domestic fund to compensate Koreans who were enslaved by Japanese companies before the end of World War II, as they desperately try to repair relations with Tokyo that have deteriorated in recent years over historical grievances. The plan, revealed during a public hearing organized by Seoul’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday (Jan 12), was met with fierce criticism by victims and their legal representatives, who have demanded that the reparations come from Japan. Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have been strained since South Korea’s Supreme Court in 2018 upheld lower court verdicts and…

Tesco has reported Christmas sales growth of more than 7 per cent, as the UK’s largest supermarket kept its full-year profit forecast.The supermarket chain on Thursday said that UK sales in the six weeks to January 7 grew 7.2 per cent, similar to the 7.1 per cent reported by its rival J Sainsbury on Wednesday.UK sales over Tesco’s third quarter to November 26 came in at 5.2 per cent. Overall sales, which also include operations in Ireland, central Europe and the Booker wholesale business, were up 7.9 per cent over Christmas and 5.7 per cent in the third quarter.Tesco said…

A sheriff’s office in Missouri received an overwhelming response after requesting alcohol drinkers to help update officers’ training with field sobriety tests.The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday it needed three to four casual drinkers per day from Tuesday to Thursday to participate in its “wet lab.” The program, which the department said is not new, is intended to be “fun and interesting” for participants while allowing officers to become certified in Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST).Participants were provided alcohol and sent to socialize in a room away from law enforcement. After an hour or two, the drinkers entered a…

Brazil’s new government is preparing for more protests by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, just days after rioters stormed key government offices in the capital in what has been denounced as an “anti-democratic” attack. The government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva bolstered security measures nationwide on Wednesday as flyers appeared on pro-Bolsonaro social media feeds calling for mass demonstrations in Brazilian cities to “retake power”. “We have measures for this Wednesday to reinforce security throughout the country since pamphlets of new demonstrations have been circulated,” Lula’s chief of staff, Rui Costa, said late on Tuesday after a…

British Gas owner Centrica has forecast a near eightfold increase in full-year earnings after it benefited from soaring energy prices in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The UK energy group said on Thursday that it expected to report full-year adjusted earnings per share of more than 30p. Analysts had expected earnings of 22p a share, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Centrica generated earnings of 4p a share and a pre-tax profit of £761mn in 2021.The company said in November that robust performance from its electricity generation assets, gas from fields in the UK North Sea and its energy trading…

Hong Kong CNN  —  A number of key provinces and cities in China have announced their growth targets for this year, most of them above 5%, offering the first clues about the country’s economic path in 2023. Local governments across China began to convene this week for annual legislative sessions laying out their respective policy goals for the year. The meetings will culminate in the national parliamentary session to be held in March, in which the premier is expected to disclose the nation’s GDP growth target. Guangdong, the southern manufacturing and export giant, announced Thursday that it aims to grow…

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s speech was “really good” says Lowy Institute Pacific Fellow Maho Laveil. “He referred to the shared history Papua New Guinea has with Australia, he mentioned the security ties Australia has with PNG, particularly from PNG assisting with the fire response for bushfires that happened a few years ago,” Mr Laveil told Sky News Australia. “And expanding exports as well from PNG to Australia.” Source: Sky News

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen remains optimistic over the Sun Cable solar project despite the company entering voluntary administration.Plans to build the world’s largest solar farm in the Northern Territory could be scrapped after a fallout between the Sun Cable’s billionaire investors. Source: Sky News

CNN  —  Days after the husband of missing Massachusetts mother Ana Walsh was arrested on a charge of misleading investigators, details of his tumultuous legal history are beginning to emerge. The mother of three was reported missing by her coworkers on January 4, but a sweeping two-day search of the small coastal town of Cohasset, Massachusetts, turned up no sign of her. Her husband, Brian Walshe, told police he last saw his wife on New Year’s Day, but investigators allege he provided them a false timeline of his actions and whereabouts around the time she disappeared. He has pleaded not…