More than a dozen states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok on Tuesday, alleging the popular short-form video app is damaging children’s mental health with a product designed to be used compulsively and excessively. The lawsuits stem from a…
China hits back at EU with brandy tax
China has imposed taxes on imports of European brandy in a move that France has said is retaliation for recent big tariffs the EU announced on Chinese electric vehicles. The European Commission said it would challenge China’s tax at the…
German authorities arrest woman suspected of spying for China
German police arrested a woman on allegations of spying as a Chinese agent, prosecutors announced on Tuesday. The woman, a Chinese citizen identified only as Yaqi X, was arrested by police in the eastern city of Leipzig on Monday. Her…
Mark Rutte takes over as NATO chief
Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has officially become the secretary-general of NATO after a handover ceremony in Brussels. He takes over from Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg, who has led the alliance since 2014. Following a symbolic handshake and wreath-laying at…
Let’s rig the Olympics — Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games cannot be forgotten in a hurry, especially as the Giant of Africa ended up winning no medal at all. Yes, Nigeria won nothing, as in nought, nil, zilch – ah, my Thesaurus has just started…
TikTok HQ staff hit by mass food poisoning incident
Dozens of staff at the Singapore office of TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, have been hospitalised in an apparent food poisoning outbreak. Health and food safety officials in the city state are investigating the incident, which left 60 people with symptoms…
Fire at shopping centre in China’s Sichuan province kills 16
Sixteen people were killed in a fire at a department store in China’s Sichuan province on the evening of July 17, state media said. The fire broke out in a 14-storey building in a high-tech zone of the city of…
China launches probe into EU practices in foreign subsidy investigations
China’s Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday launched a trade and investment barrier investigation into the relevant practices adopted by the EU in its foreign subsidy investigations, the ministry announced. The investigation was initiated at the request of the China Chamber…
Chinese rocket crashes after accidental launch
A space rocket has crashed in China after being accidentally launched during a test on Sunday. The Tianlong-3 rocket, owned by Chinese aerospace company Space Pioneer, crash-landed into a hillside in central China’s Henan province before exploding, reports say. “Due…
EU leaders pick von der Leyen for second term as European Commission chief
European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to nominate Ursula von der Leyen of Germany for a second five-year term as president of the European Commission, the EU’s powerful executive body. At a summit in Brussels, the bloc’s 27 national leaders…
