Ways to keep focused

Beijing has approved the resignation of Hong Kong chief secretary John Lee Ka-chiu, clearing the way for his leadership bid in May . In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Basic Law and the recommendation of incumbent leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the State Council on Thursday decided to remove Lee from the office of chief secretary, Xinhua reported on Friday. However, in a departure from previous practice, the Xinhua report did not announce who would succeed Lee as chief secretary. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge , our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. At a regularly scheduled press conference on Friday, Lam was asked who she recommended for the chief secretary post, and how the government’s work might be hampered by the lack of a successor. Lam declined to disclose what name she … [Read more...] about Hong Kong chief executive election 2022: Beijing approves resignation of John Lee, clearing way for his leadership bid

Elon Musk, who was born on June 28, 1971, is celebrating his 48th birthday today. The South African entrepreneur and engineer is changing the world with one invention at a time. His groundbreaking ideas and projects, ranging from space travel to saving the planet, has made him one of the 21st century’s greatest minds. Changing the face of technology, innovation, and creativity, Musk has given the world some great inventions bringing in a huge turn in the fate of mankind. Here’s a brief list of things that Musk has done for this world: Tesla Motors: Tesla, the publicly traded electric-car company, boasts revenues of $1.24 billion and claims strong guidance for future deliveries. Beginning with the Roadster, Tesla Motors have continued to deliver the Model X, Model S and soon-to-arrive Model 3, with each model being environment-friendly compared to the competitors. X.com/PayPal: In 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, which focused on financial services and email payments. X.com merged … [Read more...] about Happy Birthday Elon Musk: 5 Great Inventions That Have Changed The World, in a Way

The G-7 leaders have pledged to continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” In a joint statement Monday after a video link session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the leaders underlined their “unwavering commitment to support the government and people of Ukraine in their courageous defence of their country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” President Joe Biden is set to announce that the U.S. is providing an advanced surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine, as well as additional artillery support Russian forces were fighting on June 27 to achieve one of their strategic objectives in Ukraine as Moscow-backed separatists said they were pushing into Lysychansk, the last major city still held by Ukrainian troops in eastern Luhansk province. Lysychansk's twin city of Sievierodonetsk fell on Saturda y in a victory for Moscow's campaign to seize the eastern provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk on behalf of pro-Russian separatists. Russia invaded Ukraine on … [Read more...] about Russia-Ukraine crisis live updates | G-7 demands Russia ‘immediately’ return Ukrainians taken by force

Leading economic powers conferred by video link with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday as they underscored their commitment to Ukraine for the long haul with plans to pursue a price cap on Russian oil, raise tariffs on Russian goods and impose other new sanctions. In addition, the U.S. was preparing to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Kyiv to help Ukraine fight back against Vladimir Putin’s aggression. The new aid and efforts to exact punishment on Moscow from the Group of Seven leaders come as Zelenskyy has openly worried that the West has become fatigued by the cost of a war that is contributing to soaring energy costs and price hikes on essential goods around the globe. Leaders were finalizing the deal to seek a price cap during their three-day G-7 summit in the German Alps. The details of how a price cap would work, as well as its impact on the Russian economy, were to be resolved by the G-7 finance ministers in the coming … [Read more...] about G-7 leaders confer with Zelensky, prepare new aid for Ukraine

TAIPEI, Taiwan: Most Internet users trying to get past China’s Great Firewall search for a cyber tunnel that will take them outside censorship restrictions to the wider web. But Vincent Brussee is looking for a way in, so he can better glimpse what life is like under the Communist Party. An analyst with the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin, Brussee frequently scours the Chinese Internet for data. His main focus is information that will help him understand China’s burgeoning social credit system. But in the last few years, he’s noticed that his usual sources have become more unreliable and access tougher to gain. Some government websites fail to load, appearing to block users from specific geographic locations. Other platforms require a Chinese phone number tied to official identification. Files that were available three years ago have started to disappear as Brussee and many like him, including academics and journalists, are finding it increasingly frustrating to … [Read more...] about As China shuts out world, Internet access from abroad gets harder too

Indian Wrestlers Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia have made their way to the semi-final round of the men’s freestyle category after defeating their respective opponents. Ravi confirmed his spot after defeating Georgi Valentinov Vangelov of Bulgaria in the 57 KG category. Indian wrestler’s praise-worthy performance led him to the final score of 14-4 at Mat A. Deepak, on the other hand, beat China’s Zushen Lin to get a spot in the semi-final round of 86 KG category. The final score of the quarter-final bout at Mat C was 6-3. Both the Indian wrestlers have their semi-final bout scheduled for Wednesday, August 4. The Indian audience can watch these matches live at 2:45 PM IST. TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS – LIVE | FULL COVERAGE | INDIA IN FOCUS | SCHEDULE | RESULTS | MEDALS TALLY | PHOTOS | OFF THE FIELD | EBOOK In the upcoming bout, Ravi will lock horns with Nurislam Sunyaev from Kazakhstan and Deepak will face World Championship winner David Taylor from the United States … [Read more...] about Tokyo Olympics: Ravi Dahiya, Deepak Punia Wrestling Semi-final, Live Streaming and Broadcast Details

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Just six weeks before the 2020 presidential election — game day for vote-counting bureaucrats — Tina Peters was so proud of her operation at the Mesa County clerk’s office that she invited a film crew in to show it off. There’s no chance of mishap here, she boasted. “The Russians can’t hack into and start casting votes for someone,” she said, as a few in the office chuckled. By May 2021, it was Ms. Peters, not the Russians, who had helped engineer an audacious breach of voting machines, according to an indictment charging her with seven felonies. Ms. Peters arranged to copy sensitive election software from county voting machines in an attempt to prove the 2020 presidential election was rigged, according to court records. Prosecutors said she committed identity theft and criminal impersonation, and violated the duties of her office in the process. Ms. Peters has pleaded not guilty. The strange tale of Tina Peters — a once-ordinary public servant … [Read more...] about The Strange Tale of Tina Peters

Patients have been photographed lined up on gurneys, waiting to be seen in "never-ending" corridor at an A&E department, as pressure continues to mount on the NHS . Concerned relatives were pictured stood and sat beside their loved ones with arms folded in an exasperated stance as they filled a long hospital corridor. The images were shared with the Liverpool Echo by a man who was taking his elderly parent to be seen at Aintree hospital in Merseyside, this week. As he recounted the horrors he witnessed, he described the waits for patients as 'the worst he had ever seen' at an A&E department. He added: "I have spent a fair amount of time in and out of here with my elderly relatives lately, but I have never seen patients lying on trollies stretching all the way down and into the adjoining corridors, which are part of the main hospital. The concerned relative hit out at the shocking scenes ( Image: Liverpool Echo) "Never mind at capacity, it's gone beyond … [Read more...] about Patients line up in ‘never ending’ corridors at A&E department in alarming photos

Several influential left-wing celebrities — including A-list actors Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Sam Elliott, and Martin Sheen —  have lent their voices to the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, which now faces mounting criticisms and questions following damning accusations lodged against one of its co-founders, John Weaver, who has been accused of sending sexually explicit messages to young men. The super PAC, founded by anti-Trump Republicans, attracted support from high-profile Democrats who shared the common goal of ousting former President Trump from office. Left-wing celebrities gravitated toward the organization which gained fame as co-founder George Conway routinely criticized Trump, even as his wife, Kellyanne Conway, served as the president’s adviser. On September 11, 2020, for example, Conway declared Trump the “greatest threat to the safety and security of Americans.” But now, the organization faces unprecedented criticism as one of its co-founders, John Weaver, faces … [Read more...] about Harrison Ford, Sam Elliott, Martin Sheen, Mark Hamill Narrated Lincoln Project Political Ads

Mayra Flores, the first Mexican-born woman elected to Congress , spoke to Newsweek about supporting the end of Roe v. Wade, responded to attacks from her November opponent, and addressed her past use of Q-Anon hashtags and retweeting of conspiracy theories about alleged 2020 election fraud. Flores, who launched a successful insurgent candidacy in the 34th Congressional District special election race to fill the remainder of the term of Filemon Vela, who vacated the seat, tweeted that she thanked God for the Supreme Court decision ending federal abortion protection. "If we want to see real change in bringing crime down, we have to raise a generation to respect life in the womb," she said at a press conference with House Republican Whip Steve Scalise. Asked about Texas law, which allows exceptions for abortion if the life of the mother is threatened but not in the cases of rape and incest, Flores said her "heart goes out" to women whose lives are threatened by their … [Read more...] about Mayra Flores: ‘Never thought’ I’d be attacked by Democrats ‘because I was born in Mexico’