International News & Politics

US And Japan Issued A Joint Statement In Defense Cooperation Amid Threat From China

HT News

The US and Japan shared concerns about increasingly assertive China in a joint statement and announced stepped-up security cooperation on Wednesday. The joint statement came after one month after the US endorsing a major military build-up announced by Japan.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The US will introduce a Marine Littoral Regiment in Tokyo to increase the military capabilities of Japan
• The two sides have also agreed to extend their defense treaty to cover space

What Was The Joint Statement About?

Encouraged by the American endorsement of its announcement of a major military build-up, Japan sent its foreign and defense ministers to Washington to meet their American counterparts and issue a joint statement.

US And Japan Issued A Joint Statement In Defense Cooperation

It said that given “a severely contested environment,” the forward posture of U.S. forces in Japan should be upgraded “by positioning more versatile, resilient, and mobile forces with increased intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, anti-ship, and transportation capabilities.”

According to the statement, the ministers discussed a vision of a modernized Alliance postured to prevail in a new era of strategic competition.

After the meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a joint news conference said that the US agreed that the PRC was the greatest shared strategic challenge that the US and its allies and partners face referring to the People’s Republic of China. The two countries also agreed to cover space under the terms of their common defense treaty, said Blinken.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the US would introduce a Marine Littoral Regiment in Japan to improve significant capabilities, including anti-ship missiles.

There will be a meeting between Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada on Thursday at the Pentagon ahead of a scheduled meeting between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio … Read the rest

Media & Entertainment Movies

Golden Moments Of The RRR Team From Golden Globe Awards

HT News

Winning a Golden Globe for the Best Original Song was a golden moment for the RRR team. And team including director SS Rajamouli, Jr NTR, and Ram Charan is awaiting another historical moment in the Golden Globes 2023 red carpet event in Los Angeles.

HIGHLIGHTS

• RRR is also nominated for the Best Non-English Film for this year’s Golden Globe awards
• The team RRR has arrived in Los Angeles for the Golden Globe awards function
• The movie features on a list of 301 films eligible for several Oscar category awards

How Hopeful Team RRR Of Winning Another Golden Globe Award?

RRR has already won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song, Naatu Naatu that had gone viral soon after its release. Also, the movie is considered for the Best Non-English Film and the entire team RRR is hopeful of winning the award. They have already shared a picture from the award site.

The picture of both the lead stars – Jr NTR and Ram Charan – with their better halves – Lakshmi Pranathi (Jr NTR’s wife) and Upasana Kamineni (Ram’s wife) is going viral on the Internet. Also, director SS Rajamouli is seen standing with his wife Rama Rajamouli in traditional ensembles. The winner of the Best Non-English Language Film category is awaited.

RRR Team From Golden Globe Awards

The famous Chinese Theater of Los Angeles where the movie was screened ahead of the award function witnessed a audience dancing to the tune of the song Naatu Naatu. A viral video from the same theater shows Jr NTR and Ram Charan … Read the rest

Top Celebrities

It’s going to be the most amazing interview ever: Kate Winslet To A Young Reporter

HT News

Kate Winslet blessed a young reporter, Martha, with her star power when the latter approached her for an interview during the ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ promotion and told her that it was her first interview. Ms Winslet encouraged Martha to do well.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Kate Winslet’s encouragement to a young reporter is winning hearts
• Ms Winslet is playing Ronal in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
• ‘Avatar’ sequel has crossed the 1 billion USD in global box office collection

What Happened During The Interview?

Martha wanted to interview the Oscar-winning star Ms Winslet for the German TV network ZDF during a promotional event for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’. The young reporter approached the dynamic star and politely disclosed to the star that she was interviewing for the first time. And what happened afterward was simply unbelievable.

Kate Winslet To A Young Reporter

Variety reported that Ms Winslet paused the interview and leaned closer to Martha to say some words of encouragement. Ms Winslet said “Ok, well guess what? When we do this interview, it’s going to be the most amazing interview ever. And do you know why? Because we’ve decided that it’s going to be. So, we’ve decided right now, me and you, that this is going to be a really fantastic interview.”

“You can ask me anything that you want, and you don’t have to be scared. Everything is going to be amazing. Ok? You’ve got this. Ok, let’s do it!” added Ms Winslet.

How Is the Internet Reacting To Ms Winslet’s Gesture?

The Oscar-winning star is winning hearts with her friendly gesture to a young reporter. “The most adorable thing you have seen today” tweeted one and “She is the best,” wrote another.

The new Avatar sequel has now become a … Read the rest

Top Celebrities

Kylie Jenner And Travis Scott Separated For The Second Time For This Reason

HT News

The Kylie Cosmetics founder Kylie Jenner has separated from her rapper husband Travis Scott for the second time. They were reunited in February 2020 but separated over Christmas last December. They share two children – a daughter Stormi and a nearly one-year-old son.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Kylie and Travis were supposed to spend the Christmas holidays together
• Kylie spent her holidays in Aspen with her family and friends
• Before separation, Kylie supported Travis during his Miami performance last December

What Is The Reason Behind Their Separation?

US Weekly reported the separation of 25-year-old Kylie Jenner and 31-year-old rapper Travis Scott. The magazine quoted a person close to the couple as saying that they were supposed to spend holidays together but Kylie went to Aspen to be with her family and friends up there. The person further said that that had happened so many times before. There were known to be on again and off again, but always remained friends and great co-parents. The reality star went to Aspen with her kids but without the rapper.

Kylie Jenner And Travis Scott Separated

On January 1, Kylie shared a video on her Instagram story featuring her daughter Stormi but with the caption “We are on a serious adventure right now.” But Elle magazine shows a different view of their relationship. It said that Kylie look very affectionate to Travis during his December 2022 performance in Miami.

How Did Their Relationship Start?

The world came to know about their relationship in February 2018 when they welcomed their daughter Stormi Webster after a year of publicly dating. But they separated soon. In 2020, they again came together after the reality star was found attending the rapper’s concerts. In February 2022, they welcomed their son but separated over Christmas the … Read the rest

Sports

The Combined ATP-WTA Event Will See Novak Djokovic Playing Daniil Medvedev On Saturday

HT News

Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev both entered the semifinal round of the combined ATP-WTA event. They will play the semifinal match on Saturday. While Medvedev was the runner-up last year in the Australian Open, Djokovic missed the tournament for not being vaccinated against COVID-19.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Novak Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-4 at the Adelaide International on Friday
• Medvedev defeated fellow Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-3 on Friday
• Djokovic has defeated Medvedev in Australia in 2021

How Is Novak Djokovic Preparing For The Semifinal?

The 21-time Grand Slam winner missed the Australian Open last year because he wasn’t vaccinated for COVID-19. He praised his Canadian opponent saying that early Denis was a better player. Denis was dictating, said Djokovic after improving to 8-0 against Denis. He also said that he had to improve his serve and groove on the court.

Novak Djokovic Preparing For The Semifinal

After winning the Friday match, the 35-year-old Serb Djokovic said that he didn’t think there would be too many short points on Saturday unless they both serve well. He further said that one had to be ready to go the distance physically, mentally, and game-wise while playing Medvedev.

How Is Daniil Medvedev Preparing For The Semifinal?

Medvedev finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open last year and lost the final to Djokovic in 2021. the 2021 US Open champion Medvedev has lost the Australian finals twice.

He said about the Friday match that he played well last year and he was playing well in the present tournament. He further said that one had to be at his best for seven matches to win a slam or be in the final.

He seemed hopeful about the Saturday match when he said that he managed to do … Read the rest

Top Celebrities Cricket Sports

Urvashi Rautela Makes Another Cryptic Post About Cricketer Rishabh Pant

HT News

Urvashi Rautela posted a picture of Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital soon after cricketer Rishabh Pant was airlifted from Dehradun to Mumbai for treatment. The 25-year-old cricketer has suffered severe injuries to his ligaments in the knee and ankle in a car accident last month.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Urvashi Rautela’s latest Insta post has been linked to cricketer Rishabh Pant due to its timing
• Rishabh Pant has been airlifted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital for ligament treatment
• Urvashi Rautela and Rishabh Pant have been in the news for their relationship

How Was The Relationship Between Urvashi Rautela And Rishabh Pant?

Rumors about the cricketer being in a relationship with the actress started emerging in 2018 when they were spotted together at events, restaurants, and parties. But in 2019, the cricketers dismissed all the rumors about his relationship with Urvashi Rautela by posting a picture of Isha Negi on Instagram and announcing his relationship with her.

Urvashi Rautela posted a picture of Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai

But the relationship didn’t end there as Urvashi Rautela kept making cryptic posts about the cricketer on Instagram. A few months ago, a sort of Insta war started between the two when Urvashi wrote “Chhotu bhaiya” along with hashtags #RPChotuBhaiyya and #DontTakeAdvantageOfASilentGirl that had the internet abuzz on her Insta account in reply to Rishabh Pant’s post saying “some people lie in interviews just for some meager popularity”. The post has been deleted by the cricketer.

After Rishabh Pant met the accident, Urvashi Rautela posted a photo on Instagram with the caption ‘Praying’ along with a white heart emoji, a white dove emoji, and a series of stars.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3X6rsx0… Read the rest

Business

18,000 Amazon Employees Will Be Separated With Benefits

HT News

Amazon hurriedly announced a job cut due to an internal leak about the decision to reduce the workforce by over 18,000 employees. And these reductions are in addition to the 10,000 layoffs the company announced in November.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Amazon is removing the 18,000 staff it hired during the pandemic
• The impacted workers will be informed on January 18
• The impacted staff will be provided with all support including transitional health insurance

Why Is Amazon Reducing Its Workforce?

CEO Andy Jassy cited the uncertain economy as a reason for the layoff. He also said that the company’s leadership was “deeply aware that these role eliminations were difficult for people, and they didn’t take those decisions lightly.

As of September, the retail giant employs 1.54 million people worldwide excluding seasonal workers recruited during periods of increased activity, particularly during the holiday season. Its global staff was almost doubled due to vengeance hiring during the pandemic time when the demand for online deliveries was at its peak. Most of the recruitments were made at the beginning of 2020 and 2022.

Andy Jassy said that the company will start informing the impacted workers from January 18 but they had to make a sudden announcement because one of their teammates leaked this information externally. Some of the staff will be from Europe.

Amazon Reducing Its Workforce

How Will Amazon Compensate The Impacted Staff?

The company has plans to give packages including a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support to the outgoing staff. Jassy further said that Amazon had weathered uncertain and difficult economies in the past, and they would continue to do … Read the rest

International News & Politics

Numeracy Will Be the Biggest Highlight Of The New Year Speech Of Rishi Sunak

HT News

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is going to deliver his first speech of the year on Wednesday. And this speech is going to be important for the country in many ways. Rishi Sunak is expected to set priorities for 2023 and answer his critics in the government.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Conservative Party wants assurance from Rishi Sunak that he is capable of leading the party to the next elections in 2024
• The opposition Labour Party is leading in opinion polls

What Will Rishi Sunak Say In His Speech?

Rishi Sunak Say In His Speech

Some excerpts of the speech released on Tuesday show that Rishi Sunak will set his priorities for the New Year to bring Britain out of the tailspin. Inflation is at its highest in 40 years and economists are anticipating a long recession.

Rishi Sunak will say the speech is personal to him. Every opportunity he had in life began with the education he was so fortunate to receive. He will force students to study some form of math up to the age of 18. He wants to give every child the highest possible standard of education and that is the single most important reason for his being in politics. He wants Britain to rival the best education system in the world.

His plans to introduce math to all students up to the age of 18 stems from the OECD findings that state that poor numeracy is affecting “particularly large proportions of adults in England”.

Rishi Sunak wants his countrymen to be less anxious about inflation, energy bills, and National Health Service. He wants them to feel pride in their country and trust in fairness. He wants to prove that he can lead the Conservative Party to the next elections due in 2024.… Read the rest

Cricket Sports

Hardik Pandya Led India XI Has Many Hopes For T20I Series Against Sri Lanka

HT News

Hardik Pandya led India XI is a new team for the three-match series T20I matches against Sri Lanka. But the country has many hopes for this team. It is predicted to be the 2024 T20 World Cup team by many cricket pundits because seniors like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul aren’t part of it. But it is too early to say anything about this team.

Here’s the performance check of each India XI player

Hardik Pandya Led India XI

Arshdeep Singh: The T20 World Cup witnessed the emergence of this left-arm pacer as a reliable bowler who can bowl even under pressure. He is likely to spearhead the bowling attack in the T20I series.

Axar Patel: In Axar Pate, the team gets an all-rounder who can support the bowling attack with his left-arm spin and strengthen the batting side as well.

Deepak Hooda: He is a good spinner to continue the bowling attack when the pacers are allowed to rest for the last over of the attack.

Hardik Pandya: The all-rounder has proved his mettle in the IPL matches. Also, he has matured by playing too much cricket in the last couple of years.

Harshal Patel: He has been one of the most consistent bowlers in the IPL and the team wants to take advantage of his IPL bowling experience.

Ishan Kishan: The left-handed opening batsman caught the attention of the world with his double century in ODIs against Bangladesh last month.

Ruturaj Gaikwad: Ruturaj has done well in domestic T20s and the Sri Lanka series is an opportunity for him to prove his talent in international cricket.

Sanju Samson: There is little doubt over his talent but he has to prove himself to get a permanent seat on … Read the rest

International Real Estate

Liberal Government Of Canada Bars Foreigners From Buying Residential Properties In Cities

HT News

On Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed a temporary two-year moratorium on foreigners buying residential property in Canada. The Canadian government wants to make more homes available for locals facing a housing crunch. But refugees and others are allowed to buy homes under exceptional conditions

HIGHLIGHTS

• The liberal government of Canada imposes a temporary two-year ban on foreigners buying residential properties
• It was a poll promise made during the 2021 election campaign
• Other markets have also imposed taxes on non-residents and empty homes

What Is The New Act Barring Foreigners From Buying Residential Properties In Canada?

The Liberal government enacted the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by the Non-Canadians Act following their victory in the 2021 elections. They had promised more homes for locals during the elections. It is a temporary two-year ban on foreigners buying residential properties in Canada but refugees and permanent residents who are not citizens are allowed to buy homes as exceptions. Also, the government clarified that the ban will apply to city homes and not to recreational properties like summer cottages. Also, cities like Vancouver and Toronto have introduced taxes on non-residents and empty homes.

Barring Foreigners From Buying Residential Properties In Canada

Why Is The Condition Of the Real Estate Market In Canada?

The Liberal party said during their election campaign that The desirability of Canadian homes was attracting profiteers, wealthy corporations, and foreign investors. That was leading to a real problem of underused and vacant housing, rampant speculation, and skyrocketing prices. Homes were for people, not investors.

According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, average home prices at the start of 2022 were more than Can$800,000 (USD 590,000) but the prices came down to just over Can$630,000 (USD 465,000) last month.

What Do Experts Say About … Read the rest