Taiwan has pushed back against a growing number of foreign governments that label it part of China in their internal systems. But questions are mounting over whether Taipei’s retaliatory moves can deliver results. The dispute has widened in recent weeks after South Korea, Denmark and Cameroon were found to have changed how they designate the island in official systems, such as those that handle vi...
Taiwan has pushed back against a growing number of foreign governments that label it part of China in their internal systems. But questions are mounting over whether Taipei’s retaliatory moves can deliver results. The dispute has widened in recent weeks after South Korea, Denmark and Cameroon were found to have changed how they designate the island in official systems, such as those that handle visa documents, residence permits and international conference credentials. Taipei has responded with...
A six-year-old boy in central China was left alone in a hotel for more than two weeks, touching hotel workers who stepped in to care for him like family. According to Henan Television, the boy, nicknamed Chengcheng, checked into a hotel in Zhengzhou, Henan province, with his 25-year-old mother, surnamed Yue, in February. She initially went out at night and returned during the day, but stopped retu...
A six-year-old boy in central China was left alone in a hotel for more than two weeks, touching hotel workers who stepped in to care for him like family. According to Henan Television, the boy, nicknamed Chengcheng, checked into a hotel in Zhengzhou, Henan province, with his 25-year-old mother, surnamed Yue, in February. She initially went out at night and returned during the day, but stopped returning in March and left no contact information. For more than half a month, Chengcheng stayed alone...
'Project Hail Mary' Writer Credits Not Going Woke For Film's Success With an $80.6 million domestic opening weekend, a 95% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 96% audience score, Project Hail Mary is an undeniable blockbuster hit. By its second weekend, the movie crossed $300 million worldwide and dethroned Avatar: Fire and Ash as the top-grossing Hollywood film of 2026 in North America. It’s...
'Project Hail Mary' Writer Credits Not Going Woke For Film's Success With an $80.6 million domestic opening weekend, a 95% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 96% audience score, Project Hail Mary is an undeniable blockbuster hit. By its second weekend, the movie crossed $300 million worldwide and dethroned Avatar: Fire and Ash as the top-grossing Hollywood film of 2026 in North America. It’s become the second-biggest non-franchise opening over the past decade, after Oppenheimer . The Hollywood Reporter published a piece titled "Project Hail Mary: 4 Lessons Hollywood Won't Learn From Its Success," pointing to smart storytelling, sincerity, patience, and practical effects as the pillars behind the film's blockbuster performance. That's a solid four. But, it predictably missed the fifth, and arguably most important point: Don't go woke. In the movie, Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a science teacher and biologist who wakes up alone on a deep-space mission to figure out how to stop a microorganism from dimming the sun. He eventually makes contact with an alien on the same mission, and the two team up to save their respective worlds from extinction. The premise could have easily become a vehicle for climate allegory and geopolitical moralizing, but it didn't. Andy Weir, the author of the novel, sat down with Will Jordan - better known online as The Critical Drinker - on Jordan's YouTube channel shortly after the film's release. "For me, it's a great example of what you can do now with movies," Jordan said. "If you're faithful to the source material and you don't insult the intelligence of your audience, and give them something really interesting to grapple with, and you know, dare I say it, [don’t] try and shove, like, crappy identity politics into it, you end up with a goddam good movie at the end of it that the people just want to watch. " Weir's response was immediate and unambiguous. "I think you and me are kind of on the same wavelength there when it comes to...
Iran hit a fully laden Kuwaiti oil tanker in the anchorage area of Dubai’s port, damaging the hull and starting a fire on board. Bloomberg's Dan Murtaugh explains the potential impact on oil prices as the Iran conflict continues to escalate. (Source: Bloomberg)
Iran hit a fully laden Kuwaiti oil tanker in the anchorage area of Dubai’s port, damaging the hull and starting a fire on board. Bloomberg's Dan Murtaugh explains the potential impact on oil prices as the Iran conflict continues to escalate. (Source: Bloomberg)