Author: Phillip Colon

The Barbie film has become the US and Canada’s biggest film of the year so far, said distributor Warner Bros. An estimated $155m (£120m) was made in its opening weekend, the company said. Meanwhile, new release Oppenheimer – also out on Friday – made $93.7m (£72m) in the US, said Universal Pictures. The features come at a time when cinemas in general are struggling as they lose out to competition from streaming. Meanwhile, in the UK, Vue said both films had led to the cinema chain seeing its busiest weekend in four years. Vue, which has 91 cinemas throughout the…

Kazakhstan is gearing up for snap elections of the lower house of parliament on March 19, and there is a sense of anticipation in the air. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who came to power in 2019, called for snap elections in the wake of the deadly street protests in January 2022. The elections are part of the president’s ambitious reform agenda, Jana Kazakhstan (New Kazakhstan), which aims to usher in a new era of political liberalization. The parliamentary elections are stage two of Tokayev’s program, following his re-election winning 80 percent of the votes last November. The coming elections will see…

China’s President Xi Jinping, on an inspection tour of a major industrial province, renewed his call for greater innovation and technological self-reliance, as the United States intensifies curbs on Chinese access to advanced technologies. China should accelerate the upgrades of key technologies and core products, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday, citing Xi during his visit to a company’s high-tech manufacturing zone in eastern Jiangsu province. “With the rapid development of information technology and the emergence of disruptive technologies at any time, it is necessary to maintain a solid footing on the path of innovation and contribute to the…

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with US President Joe Biden in the White House last month, many observers saw the makings of an evolving alliance against China. But such expectations are overwrought. As Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has made clear, a formal alliance is not in the cards, even if it is still possible to maintain long-term partnerships in a multipolar world of ‘frenemies’. India has a long history of post-colonial mistrust of alliances. But it has also long been preoccupied with China, at least since the Himalayas border war the two countries fought in 1962. While…

Investors digested a rush of economic data on Thursday which showed the economy continues to perform better than feared, particularly when it comes to consumer spending. Thursday’s rush of news comes just a day after the Federal Reserve paused its aggressive rate hikes but signaled two more increases would be needed this year. The weekly report on initial jobless claims showed some softening in the labor market, while retail sales beat expectations and manufacturing activity showed signs of resilience. “There was a little for everyone, but more signs of strength than weakness,” strategists at Bespoke Investment Group wrote in a note early…

London, New York, Mexico City (11/3 – 18) PGA is looking gloomy – are the fat years over? The emergence in 2019 of LIV Golf has spectacularly upset the status quo, posing a threat as a rival to the PGA Tour monopoly, as the leading professional golf tour in the world. Newcomer LIV Golf brazenly hijacked a number of some of the most famous professional golfers from the PGA Tour, luring them away with more lucrative deals. Several major champions and former world numbers, including names like Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Patrick Reed are now…

LONDON (AP) — The United States and Europe are drawing up a voluntary code of conduct for artificial intelligence, a top European Union official said Wednesday, as the developing technology triggers warnings about the risks it poses to humanity and growing calls for regulation. The voluntary code would bridge the gap while the 27-nation EU works on groundbreaking AI rules that won’t take effect for up to three years, European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager said at a meeting of the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council, which is jointly led by American and European officials. “We need accountable artificial intelligence. Generative AI is…

OLYMPIA – Washington is on track to receive the state’s first electric fire engines through grants that aim to reduce harmful diesel exhaust. The Washington Department of Ecology has awarded $1.18 million towards the purchase of electric fire engines for the Bellevue and Redmond fire departments. The cities are expected to receive the new vehicles from Pierce Manufacturing and replace two existing diesel-powered fire engines in 2026. “Electric fire engines are an emerging technology, with only a few in service across the nation,” said Molly Spiller, with Ecology’s Clean Diesel and Volkswagen Settlement programs, which provided the funding. “Through these grants, we’re…

Experts say Sudanese are paying the price for an armed conflict they argue Western officials helped manufacture. As foreign diplomats evacuate Sudan in the midst of fierce fighting, millions of civilians are being left behind to survive as best as they can, leaving many frustrated at what they see as an armed conflict between previously Western-backed generals. Sudanese analysts and activists who spoke to Al Jazeera blamed Western officials for emboldening and legitimising the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, and the army under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the two men embroiled in a deadly armed conflict…

The normally heavy traffic on the 405 Freeway was expected to be even heavier for drivers as police investigated a death on the road near Los Angeles International Airport Thursday afternoon. The No. 5 Lane on the southbound side of the freeway was expected to be closed for some four hours at the 105 Freeway, the California Highway Patrol said shortly after 3 p.m. NBC4’s NewsChopper4 helicopter showed a backup all the way to the Sepulveda Pass. The CHP noted that the southbound 405 to eastbound 105 transition road was open. Source: NBC Los Angeles