Taiwan detects 20 Chinese aircraft in single-day activity
Taiwan’s defence ministry said late on March 21 that 20 Chinese military aircraft had been detected since nightfall, a rise in activity following a large number of planes spotted earlier in the day.
Beijing claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under China’s control.
China has stepped up military pressures on Taiwan since 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen was elected, sending in warplanes and other military aircraft while Chinese ships maintain a near-constant presence around its waters.
In the 24 hours leading up to 6am on March 21, the Ministry of National Defence said it had detected 32 Chinese aircraft and five naval vessels operating around Taiwan. Twenty of the aircraft “crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait”, it added in a statement.
Ukraine pressed to scrap war sponsors blacklist
Ukraine could dismantle within days its “sponsors of war” blacklist, central to Kyiv’s campaign to expose companies doing business with Russia, after a backlash from countries including China and France, two people familiar with the matter said.
The blacklist has no legal standing, but has been an embarrassment for around 50 major companies singled out for operating in Russia and helping the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine by, for instance, paying taxes.
The demise of the name-and-shame campaign, if it happens, would be indicative of how Kyiv may have to soften its stance as it becomes harder to maintain global support for its war effort more than two years into the full-scale invasion.
Anti-Kremlin fighters say they are still operating inside Russia
Three Ukrainian-backed paramilitary groups that purport to be made up of Russians opposed to the Kremlin said on March 21 their forces were continuing their cross-border attacks following a week of raids.
The groups launched incursions from northern Ukraine last week into the Russian regions of Kursk and Belgorod, claiming to have entered several villages on the Russian side of the border.
“The operation, even right now, is continuing. We will talk about our losses after it’s conclusion,” Mr Denis Kapustin, leader of one of the groups, the right-wing Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), told a press conference, in response to a question about the unit’s losses.
Macron straps on gloves for boxing photoshoot
Where politicians once looked to project health and fitness with jogs in the park, martial sports like boxing have now gained the upper hand, with France’s Emmanuel Macron the latest to strap on gloves.
The 46-year-old president was pictured on March 20 pounding a punching bag, forearms bulging, in images posted to the Instagram account of his official photographer, Ms Soazig de la Moissonniere.
“(Macron) is a technocrat having a go at the populist style, by trying to respond to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin on his own turf,” said Mr Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet, an expert in political communication.
Reddit shares end trading up 48% in market debut
Social media platform Reddit’s shares ended their first day of trading in New York up 48 per cent, signalling that investor appetite for initial public offerings of promising yet loss-making companies could be returning.
Reddit, which has not turned an annual profit since launching in 2005, lured investors by positioning its content as training grounds for artificial intelligence (AI) programs. Reuters reported in February that Reddit struck a data licensing deal with Google worth about US$60 million (S$80 million) a year.
While Reddit still relies on advertising for the vast majority of its revenue, it touted AI in its IPO marketing roadshow as an area of growth. It also disclosed last week that the US Federal Trade Commission is looking into its AI data licensing deals.
