Author: Press Room

SHANGHAI: Marvel’s superheroes began their return to China’s massive movie market after an apparent ban of nearly four years on Tuesday, with fans streaming into cinemas to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The Disney-owned studio’s hugely popular franchises have been absent from Chinese screens since 2019, with no explanation. Marvel blockbusters have raked in billions globally, and their return to one of the world’s biggest movie markets means hundreds of millions of dollars in potential earnings for Disney – the first Black Panther film alone took in US$105 million at Chinese cinemas. “I’m super excited,” said a woman named Chen,…

Oil major BP on Tuesday reported record annual profits, more than doubling last year’s total as fossil fuel prices soared following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.The British energy giant posted underlying replacement cost profit, used as a proxy for net profit, of $27.7 billion for 2022. That compared with $12.8 billion for the previous year.Analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected net profit of $27.6 billion for full-year 2022. BP said its previous annual profit record was $26.3 billion in 2008.For the fourth quarter, BP posted net profit of $4.8 billion, narrowly beating analyst expectations of $4.7 billion.BP announced a further…

Detective Ice, a Michigan police K-9, took the internet by storm last month after he was accused of stealing a human officer’s lunch.The Wyandotte Police Department in Wyandotte, Michigan, shared the alleged thief’s mugshot on Facebook, where it went viral – garnering thousands of likes, comments and shares.As a result of the post, Facebook users came to the defense of the K-9 — with some people even offering their services to “defend” Ice during his investigation. MICHIGAN K-9’S MUGSHOT GOES VIRAL AFTER POLICE ACCUSE PUP OF STEALING OFFICER’S LUNCHBut exactly who is everyone’s favorite furry officer — and what has his…

TAIPEI: Taiwan will speed up the development of drones for military use taking into account the lessons of the war in Ukraine and the threat posed by China, the island’s defence ministry said on Tuesday (Feb 7). Unmanned aircraft have played a crucial role on both sides since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Ukraine’s defence minister has said that he regarded drones as the future of modern warfare. Taiwan, which is facing a growing threat from China to use force to bring it under Beijing’s control, has repeatedly said it is closely watching the…

Hundreds of skulls and bones, neatly packed into plastic boxes, fill the small room almost up to the ceiling.This real-life chamber of horrors, in an anonymous room at the San Fernando cemetery in Seville, holds the remains of 1,786 people. All were dug out of one of Spain’s biggest mass graves.Behind the bullet-ridden craniums and mangled bones at Pico Reja are the stories of those condemned to death for being on the wrong side in the Spanish Civil War between 1936-1939.Within the boxes are human brains, preserved over 80 years since they were silenced by a single gunshot, and the…

Australia’s central bank raised its cash rate by 25 basis points to a decade-high of 3.35% on Tuesday and reiterated that further increases would be needed, in a more hawkish policy tilt than many had expected. Wrapping up its February policy meeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) also dropped previous guidance that it was not on a pre-set path and forecast inflation would only return to the top of its target range of 2-3% by mid-2025. “The Board expects that further increases in interest rates will be needed over the months ahead to ensure that inflation returns to target…

The Beatles were greeted by the deafening roar of thousands of screaming fans when they arrived in the United States for the very first time on this day in history, Feb. 7, 1964. “When the Beatles arrived in America, it was like seeing a new color for the first time,” a fan said years later. Pan Am Flight 101, a Boeing 707, touched down with John, Paul, George and Ringo — the Fab Four still known globally by their first names — at the recently renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City at 1:20 p.m. ET.ON THIS DAY IN…

JAKARTA: In preparation for the upcoming dry season, Indonesian authorities are looking to use “weather modification technology” to produce artificial rain that will help prevent peatland fires.  According to state news agency Antara, Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) head Hartono said that the agency will work with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to improve water reserves using artificial rain.   “In very vulnerable locations, we are working with BNPB to carry out weather modification technology as an effort to add water reserves through artificial rain,” Mr Hartono was quoted as saying by Antara on Monday (Feb 6).  Local…

BENGALURU: India unveiled on Monday (Feb 6) its largest helicopter factory, which can turn out at least 1,000 aircraft a year, as part of a defence self-reliance push to counter China’s growing assertiveness. New Delhi also announced a double-digit increase in its annual defence budget last week with an eye on its geopolitical rival, with which it shares a disputed northern border. India is one of the largest arms importers in the world and, even with its recent push towards local defence production, still relies heavily on hardware from Moscow, its largest and oldest military supplier. The new helicopter facility…

A copper master and his copper products at the Coppersmith Bazaar in Baghdad, Iraq on March 15, 2022.Murtadha Al-Sudani | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesA copper deficit is set to inundate global markets throughout 2023 — and one analyst predicts the shortfall could potentially extend throughout the rest of the decade.The world is currently facing a global copper shortage, fueled by increasingly challenging supply streams in South America and higher demand pressures.Copper is a leading pulse check for economic health due to its incorporation in various uses such as electrical equipment and industrial machinery.A copper squeeze could be an indicator…