[QUICKREADS]

‘Powerful’ hurricane Fiona hits Canada; storm surge, heavy rainfall expected
Hurricane Fiona made landfall in eastern Canada's Nova Scotia on Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said, with maximum winds of 90 miles (144 kilometers) per hour and heavy rainfall. The NHC said the storm would affect many parts of eastern Canada as a "powerful hurricane-force cyclone". Canada has issued severe weather warnings for much of its eastern coast.
Bill Gates is dating again. His girlfriend shares quite a similar background
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is reportedly dating the wife of former CEO of Oracle Paula Hurd following his divorce from Melinda French Gates in August 2021. Read more: No recession in US in 2023 or 2024: Joe Biden's expert-defying/ denying claim Paula Hurd was married to CEO of the software company Oracle, Mark Hurd for 30 years, until his death in 2019, People.com reported. Bill Gates separated from Melinda Gates after 27 years of marriage.

Ukraine's Zelensky to attend EU meet in Brussels. Before that a flight with...
French President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky will fly together on Thursday morning from Paris to a summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels, the Elysee Palace announced. The two leaders will leave Villacoublay, near Paris, at around 08:30 am (0730 GMT). They are expected to arrive in Brussels at 10:00 am (0900). He travelled to Washington in December.
South Korea slams North Korea for holding military parade amid food crisis
South Korea's foreign ministry on Thursday criticised North Korea for holding a massive military parade when it's facing a worsening food crisis and economic difficulties. "We urge North Korea to immediately stop illegal nuclear and missile development, reckless nuclear threats and promptly return to the denuclearisation negotiations," South Korea's foreign ministry spokesperson, Lim Soo-suk, told a regular briefing.

Death toll in Turkey, Syria earthquakes surpasses 15,000 mark
The death toll from the catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria rose to more than 15,000 as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of collapsed homes in the stricken zone, Turkey's disaster management agency said Thursday. Turkey Syria earthquake live updates The agency said 12,391 people had been confirmed killed in Turkey after Monday's early morning earthquake and series of aftershocks, which brought down thousands of buildings in southeastern Turkey.

Are Meghan Markle, Prince Harry planning this unexpected career move? Details
Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle could be making Meghan Markle's way back to Hollywood very soon, a report claimed. The former Suits star and her husband Prince Harry are planning to produce romantic comedies and move away from creating documentaries, Telegraph reported. Read more: Kate Middleton says it is 'tough' to raise children today. Read more: New British stamp with image of King Charles unveiled.

Joe Biden asked if US-China ties strained after spy balloon. His reply: ‘No, no'
President Joe Biden denied that relations with Beijing have suffered a serious blow after the US downed an alleged Chinese spy balloon that flew across the continental US. ?No. No,? Biden told Judy Woodruff in an interview for PBS Newshour on Wednesday, when asked if ties between the world's two largest economies had taken a ?big hit.? ?I talked to Xi Jinping before. And our team talks to their people,? Biden said.

Taiwan president to donate a month's salary for Turkey relief efforts
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President William Lai will each donate a month's salary for Turkish earthquake relief efforts, the presidential office said on Thursday, adding to existing aid already sent by the island. Tsai and Lai, who is widely expected to stand for the presidency in elections due next year, "hope to do their part to help Turkey rebuild its homeland as soon as possible", the presidential office said in a statement.
Did Kim Jong Un unveil new intercontinental ballistic missile at parade? Maybe
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to have rolled out a new fast-strike intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade, an event that he also used to elevate the profile of a daughter who he could be grooming for a leadership position. A broadcast of the event may come Thursday, providing weapons experts an opportunity to study the missiles rolled through the streets.
Singapore relaxes Covid travel curbs, mask rules further
Read more: Caged no more? Update from Elon Musk on Twitter access in Turkey The public will also not be required to wear masks on public transport, the health ministry said in a statement, adding that masks were still mandatory in healthcare settings, where there is interaction with patients and in indoor patient-facing areas.

Twitter's efforts against disinformation lagging behind, EU says
Elon Musk's Twitter lagged behind Alphabet's Google, Meta Platforms, Microsoft and TikTok in the fight against disinformation in the last six months, the European Commission said on Thursday and urged Twitter to step up its efforts. The companies on Thursday presented progress reports on compliance with a beefed up European Union (EU) code of practice on disinformation in the last six months. Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova singled out Twitter for criticism.

‘We’ve been worried about…': King Charles- Ukraine's Zelensky exchange revealed
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Britain monarch King Charles III at Buckingham Palace during a visit to London after meeting with UK politicians and urging them to provide more military support to his country amid Russian invasion. During the meeting, King Charles told the Ukrainian president that he was delighted to welcome him to Buckingham Palace, to which Zelensky replied that it was "a great honour to be here".
Japan says it is exchanging information on China spy balloon with US
Japan is exchanging information on Chinese spy balloons with the United States, top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said on Thursday. Read more: No recession in US in 2023 or 2024: Joe Biden's expert-defying/ denying claim There have been confirmations of suspected balloons flying over Japan, including the southwestern region of Kyushu in 2022, Matsuno told reporters at a regular news conference.

Australia to remove Chinese-made cameras from government sites
Australia will strip Chinese-made security cameras from government buildings, the country's defence minister said Thursday, as it was crucial to make facilities "completely secure". The security cameras were installed at more than 200 Australian government buildings -- according to official figures compiled by an opposition politician -- including at least one run by the Department of Defence. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said officials would find and remove all these cameras at military sites.

Turkey earthquake: How long can people survive in the rubble? Experts say this
Read more: Caged no more? Update from Elon Musk on Twitter access in Turkey Search teams from around the world have joined local emergency personnel in Turkey and Syria to look for victims from this week's devastating earthquake that has killed thousands. Most rescues occur in the first 24 hours after a disaster. There are many stories of people surviving well past the seven-day mark. Unfortunately, these are usually rare and extraordinary cases."

Quad nations launch 'Quad cyber challenge' to improve cyber security
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad comprising India, United States, Japan and Australia on Wednesday launched a public campaign 'Quad Cyber Challenge' to improve cyber security across their nations. In an official release, the National Security Council Secretariat said, "The Internet-users are being invited across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to join the Challenge and pledge to practice safe and responsible cyber habits."