Climber Alex Honnold scales 101-floor skyscraper without safety gear His ascent in Taiwan's capital was streamed live on Netflix, which said there would be a delay on the live feed should the worst happen. The climb was originally set to take place on Saturday but was delayed by wet weather. Honnold is renowned for being the first person to climb El Capitan, the vertical granite cliff in Californi...
Climber Alex Honnold scales 101-floor skyscraper without safety gear His ascent in Taiwan's capital was streamed live on Netflix, which said there would be a delay on the live feed should the worst happen. The climb was originally set to take place on Saturday but was delayed by wet weather. Honnold is renowned for being the first person to climb El Capitan, the vertical granite cliff in California's Yosemite national park - also without ropes or safety gear. The building, named Taipei 101 for the number of its floors, stands at 508m (1,667ft) of steel, glass and concrete and is designed to resemble a stick of bamboo. American climber Alex Honnold has successfully scaled a Taiwan skyscraper without a rope, harness or safety equipment. Honnold completed the climb in an hour and thirty-one minutes and celebrated the achievement with one word: "Sick." His time more than halves the record of the only other person to scale the tower. Alain Robert, a Frenchman who called himself "Spiderman", made it to the top of Taipei 101 - at the time the world's tallest building - in four hours. He did so with ropes and a harness. Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim congratulated Honnold on the ascent, writing on X: "I admit I would probably feel sick, too, barely able to watch." Honnold was greeted at the top of the building by his wife, who expressed concern for the wind and heat as he climbed. But there was another distraction during his ascent. As Honnold reached the 89th floor, fans cheered and waved, face to face with the man clinging to the building but for the window. Video of the moment was shared by Honnold and Netflix on Instagram, showing the climber continuing undeterred. Honnold has made many extreme climbs during his career. A documentary about his ascent of the 3,000 foot (915m) El Capitan, titled Free Solo, won an Academy Award.
Fans gathered at a Tokyo zoo on Sunday to bid farewell to the last two giant pandas in the country, long a symbol of Sino-Japanese friendship, two days before they leave for China. The departure of Xiao Xiao and his sister, Lei Lei, will leave Japan without any pandas for the first time since 1972, when China gifted a pair to Japan following the normalisation of bilateral ties. Prospects for a new...
Fans gathered at a Tokyo zoo on Sunday to bid farewell to the last two giant pandas in the country, long a symbol of Sino-Japanese friendship, two days before they leave for China. The departure of Xiao Xiao and his sister, Lei Lei, will leave Japan without any pandas for the first time since 1972, when China gifted a pair to Japan following the normalisation of bilateral ties. Prospects for a new panda loan by China remain uncertain amid soured ties following remarks last year by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting Japan could act in the event of an attack by Beijing on Taiwan. Advertisement Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. While many nations, including the US, do not officially acknowledge Taiwan as an independent state, they oppose any use of force to alter the existing status quo. China has long used the giant panda as a tool of outreach and goodwill towards other nations in what is called its “panda diplomacy”. Advertisement Visitors needed a prior reservation to see the pandas at the Ueno Zoological Gardens on Sunday, with 4,400 slots available and 24.6 times the number of people applying for them online, according to the Tokyo metropolitan government.
Storm damage forces closure of railway line Great Western Railway is urging passengers not to attempt to travel on the line due to damage at Dawlish The only railway line to the south-west of England has been partially shut until further notice after a sea wall next to it crumbled in a storm. Great Western Railway (GWR) urged passengers not to attempt to travel on the line between Exeter St Davids...
Storm damage forces closure of railway line Great Western Railway is urging passengers not to attempt to travel on the line due to damage at Dawlish The only railway line to the south-west of England has been partially shut until further notice after a sea wall next to it crumbled in a storm. Great Western Railway (GWR) urged passengers not to attempt to travel on the line between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot due to the damage at Dawlish. A sea wall protecting the railway line in the town collapsed in two places as Storm Ingrid lashed the south Devon coast on Saturday. Network Rail had issued a black alert, its highest warning, as 12ft (4m) waves pounded the sea wall.
Key Points Given the rising pace of institutional adoption, Bitcoin could double in price this year to hit $200,000. Ethereum's market dominance in decentralized finance could help power a major breakout in 2026. XRP's upside potential may be as high as $8 this year, especially if it remains a key part of Ripple's acquisition strategy. 10 stocks we like better than Bitcoin › For crypto investors, ...
Key Points Given the rising pace of institutional adoption, Bitcoin could double in price this year to hit $200,000. Ethereum's market dominance in decentralized finance could help power a major breakout in 2026. XRP's upside potential may be as high as $8 this year, especially if it remains a key part of Ripple's acquisition strategy. 10 stocks we like better than Bitcoin › For crypto investors, 2025 was a year to forget. Nearly every major cryptocurrency ended the year in the red, and all the pro-crypto euphoria from the beginning of the year has long since evaporated. But all that could change in 2026. Two longtime market bellwethers could be on the verge of a breakout, and one high-risk, high-upside altcoin could be poised to double, triple, or even quadruple in value. Let's take a closer look at 3 potential breakout candidates. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » 1. Bitcoin The most likely cryptocurrency to skyrocket in value this year is Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC). While the world's most popular cryptocurrency continues to struggle to break through the $100,000 price level, plenty of analysts think that it could more than double in value in 2026 from its current price of $90,000. According to a CNBC roundup of Bitcoin predictions, the upside potential for Bitcoin could be as high as $225,000. In part, that's due to the rising pace of institutional adoption. Wall Street banks are creating new Bitcoin financial products, big institutional investors are ratcheting up their asset allocations to Bitcoin, and prominent Bitcoin treasury companies -- led by Michael Saylor's Strategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) -- continue to load up on Bitcoin. Perhaps even more importantly, the White House continues to promote a pro-crypto, pro-Bitcoin agenda. Plans are afoot to buy new Bitcoin for the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and new crypto market legislation due later this year could make it much eas...
Explore how differences in cost, risk, and global diversification set these two international ETFs apart for investors. Both Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO) and iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF (NASDAQ:ACWX) target international stocks, but their approaches diverge. VWO is dedicated to emerging markets, focusing on companies in countries such as China, Brazil, and Taiwan. ACWX, mean...
Explore how differences in cost, risk, and global diversification set these two international ETFs apart for investors. Both Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO) and iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF (NASDAQ:ACWX) target international stocks, but their approaches diverge. VWO is dedicated to emerging markets, focusing on companies in countries such as China, Brazil, and Taiwan. ACWX, meanwhile, includes both developed and emerging non-U.S. equities, making it a more globally diversified option. This analysis compares their cost, performance, risk, and portfolio composition to help investors weigh which may better match individual goals. Snapshot (cost & size) Metric VWO ACWX Issuer Vanguard IShares Expense ratio 0.07% 0.32% 1-yr return (as of Jan. 25, 2026) 28.53% 31.86% Dividend yield 2.64% 2.7% Beta 0.56 0.74 AUM $112.62 billion $8.53 billion Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year weekly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. VWO has a considerably lower expense ratio, while both funds currently offer identical dividend yields. Performance & risk comparison Metric VWO ACWX Max drawdown (5 y) -34.31% -30.06% Growth of $1,000 over 5 years $1,069 $1,267 What's inside Launched nearly 18 years ago, ACWX tracks non-U.S. large- and mid-cap stocks, holding 1,796 companies across developed and emerging markets, with a portfolio tilt toward financial services, industrials, and technology. The largest positions are Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (2330.TW), Tencent Holdings Ltd. (0700.HK), and ASML Holding N.V. (AMS:ASML). By contrast, VWO tilts toward emerging markets, with substantial stakes in technology, financial services, and consumer cyclical sectors. Its largest positions are Taiwan Semiconductor (commonly referred to as TSMC), Tencent, and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (9988.HK). TSMC alone makes up over 10% of the fund’s assets. This concentration may introduce gr...