The extremists began by asserting control over women’s bodies.In the political vacuum that has emerged after the overthrow of Bangladesh’s authoritarian leader, religious fundamentalists in one town declared that young women could no longer play soccer. In another, they forced the police to free a man who had harassed a woman for not covering her hair in public, then draped him in garlands of flowers.More brazen calls followed. Demonstrators at a rally in Dhaka, the capital, warned that if the government did not give the death penalty to anyone who disrespected Islam, they would carry out executions with their own…
Author: usaeverydaylife
Brand new Toyota cars are displayed on the sales lot at Hanlees Hilltop Toyota on March 4, 2025 in Richmond, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty ImagesNewly announced U.S. tariffs on auto imports have rattled Asian automakers, pressuring companies ahead of the implementation of the duties later in the week.U.S. President Donald Trump last Wednesday announced sweeping 25% tariffs on cars “not made in the U.S.,” sending shockwaves through global automakers.Shares of Toyota fell 9.4% in the three sessions following the announcement, while Nissan dropped 9.3%. South Korea’s Hyundai lost 11.2%.Japanese carmakers are particularly in dire straits, with Toyota likely to be…
Workers seen unloading gas tanks from a lorry at Chow Kit market, Kuala Lumpur on November 5, 2024.Faris Hadziq | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesA fire at a gas pipeline operated by Malaysia state energy firm Petronas injured 33 people on Tuesday on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur, authorities said.Six of the injured were sent to hospital, Selangor fire department director Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail told broadcaster Astro Awani.Operations to try to tackle the blaze are ongoing.There are people trapped in houses in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru and rescue efforts are ongoing, Selangor Disaster Management Committee chairman Mohd Najwan Halimi told state news…
Taiwanese Coast Guard personnel work on a vessel off the coast of Nangan Township, in the Matsu Islands on Oct. 15, 2024, a day after China conducted the “Joint Sword-2024B” military drills around Taiwan.Daniel Ceng | AFP | Getty ImagesChina’s military said Tuesday its army, navy and rocket forces launched a joint exercise off the coast of Taiwan in what it described as a “stern warning” against forces looking to undermine peace in the Taiwan Strait.The military drills, designed to “close in on Taiwan from multiple directions,” are a “resolute punishment” for the island’s President Lai Ching-te’s administration’s “provocations for…
In spring, they come for the cherry blossoms. In fall, for the foliage tours.Now, more travelers are booking winter trips to Japan, as the country’s reputation as a world-class skiing destination continues to lure visitors from Asia-Pacific and beyond.Foreign visitors to Japan rose 33% this past winter from pre-pandemic levels. Some 10.5 million visitors arrived from December 2024 to February 2025, up from 7.9 million during the same period in 2018, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.Many are flocking to the powdery slopes of Niseko and Hakuba which, along with other skiing areas like Yamagata and Yuzawa, received a…
Around sunset during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, something remarkable happens in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. The streets in this city of more than 10 million people, known for its hectic bustle and choking traffic, turn quiet and empty.But for political parties, which know well the persuasive powers of full bellies, sunset is their high time.Iftar parties, where the faithful break their fast, were closely watched through the end of Ramadan last week for what direction Bangladesh could take after the overthrow of its authoritarian leader last summer.Who was attending which party? Who was seated next to whom? In…
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te at the Presidential Palace, in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 1, 2025.Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesChina’s military on Tuesday said it had begun joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to “serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence”, calling Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te a “parasite”.The exercises around the democratically governed island, which China views as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring under its control, come after Lai called Beijing a “foreign hostile force” last month.China detests Lai as a “separatist,” and in a video accompanying the Eastern Theater Command’s announcement of the drills depicted him as cartoon bug held by a pair of…
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) building is seen behind construction fences on August 06, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. Lisa Maree Williams | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe Reserve Bank of Australia on Tuesday expectedly held its benchmark policy rate at 4.1%, despite having flagged earlier that inflation was declining at a faster pace than expected.The country’s inflation reading in February came in at a softer-than-expected 2.4%.In its last meeting, the central bank said that “some of the upside risks to inflation appear to have eased,” noting a sharper-than-anticipated decline.However, the bank also added that if monetary policy was eased…
In this photo illustration, Claude AI logo is seen on a smartphone and Anthropic logo on a pc screen. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesAnthropic on Monday announced updates to the “responsible scaling” policy for its artificial intelligence technology, including defining which of its model safety levels are powerful enough to need additional protections.The company, backed by Amazon, published safety and security updates in a blog post. If the company is stress-testing an AI model and sees that it has the capacity to potentially help a “moderately-resourced state program” develop chemical…
The Israeli military said early Tuesday that it had conducted a strike on the southern outskirts of Beirut, the second attack near Lebanon’s capital in less than a week.Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a cease-fire in November, raising hopes that Lebanon’s deadliest war in decades could be over. But the recent strikes have prompted fears that the truce could unravel.The Israeli military said the latest strike, in the Dahiya area in Beirut’s southern suburbs, had targeted a Hezbollah operative who had directed and assisted Hamas in planning a “significant and imminent” attack against Israel.Israel acted to eliminate the operative because…
