China has conducted spy balloon programme for years, Pentagon says


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The Chinese balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast by the US was part of a large surveillance programme that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

When similar balloons passed over US territory four times during the administrations of President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump, the US did not immediately identify them as Chinese surveillance balloons, said Brig Gen Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary.

Brig Gen Ryder said “subsequent intelligence analysis” allowed the US to confirm they were part of a Chinese spying effort and learnt “a lot more” about the programme.

He would not provide any new details about the earlier balloons. When pressed, Brig Gen Ryder would only say that the vessels flew over “sites that would be of interest to the Chinese”.

One of the incidents was possibly last February, when Maj Gen Kenneth Hara, the adjutant general in Hawaii, tweeted about a balloon over Kauai a year ago.

Maj Gen Hara said US Indo-Pacific Command “detected a high-altitude object floating in air in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands” and sent up aircraft to intercept it.

He said they confirmed it was an unmanned balloon with no identification markings.

Brig Gen Ryder declined to say whether this was one of the four previous incidents that the US had discussed.

The recent balloon was shot down by a US military fighter jet on Saturday.

The Navy and Coast Guard are still recovering pieces of the balloon off the coast of South Carolina so they can be analysed.

China claims it was a civilian balloon used for weather research and criticised the US for shooting it down.

“I can assure you this was not for civilian purposes … we are 100 per cent clear about that,” Brig Gen Ryder said on Wednesday.

Top administration officials were briefing members of Congress on the Chinese balloon surveillance programme in classified sessions on Wednesday and Thursday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US briefed dozens of countries on the programme, which officials said had been active over five continents.

“The United States was not the only target,” he said alongside visiting Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.

Mr Blinken said he and Mr Stoltenberg had spoken about the “systemic and tactical challenges” that China posed to the alliance and the importance of battling them.

The foreign countries would include nations the US believes have been under surveillamce in the past, as well as Nato allies.

Mr Stoltenberg agreed on the nature of the Chinese threat, saying the balloon incident “confirms a pattern of Chinese behaviour”.

He said that Beijing had “invested heavily in new military capabilities, including different types of surveillance and intelligence platforms”.

“We have also seen increased Chinese intelligence activities in Europe,” Mr Stoltenberg said. “We just have to be vigilant.

"We need to be aware of the constant risk of Chinese intelligence and step up what we do to protect ourselves.”

- Associated Press contributed to this report

US Navy recovers Chinese balloon — in pictures

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PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS

Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
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West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

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Starting at 10am:

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Director: Rajkumar Hirani

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How to come clean about financial infidelity
  • Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
  • Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help. 
  • Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
  • Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
  • Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported. 

Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
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One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.

That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.

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What is myofascial pain syndrome?

Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (­connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).

What are trigger points?

Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft ­tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and ­sustained posture are the main culprits in developing ­trigger points.

What is myofascial or trigger-point release?

Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle ­sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in ­connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. ­Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.

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MATCH INFO

Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')

Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')

Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

RESULT

Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')

 

Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What is an ETF?

An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.

There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.

The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.

There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash. 

What is safeguarding?

“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.

Gulf Under 19s final

Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B

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Updated: February 09, 2023, 6:47 AM`