US must push China to be honest about Covid-19 origins, US envoy says
US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns on Monday said Washington must push Beijing to be more honest about the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Burns, speaking by video link at a US Chamber of Commerce event, said the United States would need to push China to take a more active role in the World Health Organization (WHO) if it wants to strengthen the United Nations’ health agency.
“And (of) course, be more honest about what happened three years ago in Wuhan with the origin of the Covid-19 crisis,” Mr Burns said, referring to the central Chinese city where the first human cases were reported in December 2019.
Canada banning TikTok on staff devices: National Post
Canada is banning Chinese social media app TikTok from all government-issued devices effective Tuesday, according to a report in the National Post on Monday, citing official communication to an internal department.
The decision was made to ensure the security of government information after an internal review showed that TikTok’s data collection methods may leave users vulnerable to cyber attacks, the report said.
The move, which comes days after the European Commission imposed a similar ban, underscores the growing lobby against TikTok over concerns of its proximity to the Chinese government and hold over user data across the world.
Live Nation says Taylor Swift fans can’t sue over ticket debacle
Live Nation Entertainment Inc and subsidiary Ticketmaster LLC asked a US judge on Friday to halt a proposed consumer class action over their sales of Taylor Swift concert tickets and instead force claims to be heard privately in arbitration.
The companies are hoping to head off a lawsuit in Los Angeles, California, federal court accusing them of violating antitrust and consumer protection laws.
Demand from fans, scalpers and bots for Swift’s first tour in five years caused the Ticketmaster site to crash last fall, and raised new scrutiny from US lawmakers and others about what critics say is a lack of competition in the ticketing market.
‘Best chef in the world’ Guy Savoy stripped of Michelin star
The Michelin Guide announced Monday the shock decision to knock a star off the Paris restaurant of Guy Savoy, frequently named the best chef in the world.
The 69-year-old has held Michelin’s top three-star status since 2002 for his Monnaie de Paris restaurant overlooking the Seine, which has a sister version in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
In November he was named best chef in the world for the sixth year running by La Liste, which aggregates thousands of reviews from around the world.
Football: Scaloni renews contract with Argentina to 2026
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has extended his contract until 2026, the country’s FA said on Monday after he led the team to their World Cup triumph in Qatar last year.
Scaloni, who took Argentina to the Copa America title in 2021, renewed his contract after meeting with AFA president Claudio Tapia in Paris on Monday.
“Claudio Tapia and Lionel Scaloni met to close the extension of the contract as coach of the Senior Selection until 2026,” the AFA said in a statement.
