First foreign aid plane from New Zealand arrives in Tonga

Published

4 years ago

January 20, 2022

The first foreign rescue flight has landed in Tong after the island was rocked by a massive tsunami on Saturday

New Zealand is officially on the ground in Tonga with the first foreign aid plane officially landing, carrying much-needed water and supplies for the Pacific nation.

The military plane landed at Tonga’s main airport after workers cleared ash from the runway.

More planes and ships sent by New Zealand and Australia are on the way and they will of course be critical to helping Tonga during this time.

Saturday’s eruption of an undersea volcano and tsunami wave saw volcanic ash blanketing the islands, posing a serious health risk, with the ash and sea water contaminating fresh water supplies.

At least three people have died during the wild weather event

Communications have also been crippled, and Tonga has only just begun to re-establish global contact after five days cut off from the rest of the world.

New Zealand predicts the damaged communication cable will take at least four weeks to fix.

As for what is on this first flight:

This plane contains Equipment to repair and boost telecommunications and will also deliver basic water, medicine and hygiene supplies.

BBC director-general Tim Davie resigns amid Trump speech controversy

Tim Davie resigns as BBC director-general amid Trump speech editing controversy; news chief Deborah Turness follows.

Published

9 hours ago

November 10, 2025

ticker NEWS

Tim Davie resigns as BBC director-general amid Trump speech editing controversy; news chief Deborah Turness follows.

Tim Davie has stepped down as BBC director-general after criticism over the editing of President Trump’s speech.

Head of news Deborah Turness also resigns, citing reputational damage.

#BBC #TimDavie #TrumpSpeech #Resignation #Media #NewsControversy #Journalism #DeborahTurness #MediaEthics

News

Kazakhstan joins Abraham Accords in surprise diplomatic shift

Kazakhstan’s unexpected entry into the Abraham Accords may reshape Central Asia-Middle East relations amid ties to Russia and China.

Published

9 hours ago

November 10, 2025

ticker NEWS

Kazakhstan’s unexpected entry into the Abraham Accords may reshape Central Asia-Middle East relations amid ties to Russia and China.

In a major geopolitical surprise, Kazakhstan has joined the Abraham Accords, a landmark move for a Muslim-majority nation with deep ties to Russia and China.

Analysts say it could signal a broader realignment across Central Asia and the Middle East.

#Kazakhstan #AbrahamAccords #Israel #MiddleEast #Diplomacy #Geopolitics #Russia #China #Iran #GlobalPolitics

News

China leads world in AI and 6G patents

China dominates AI and 6G patents, securing 60% and 40.3% of global applications respectively, says 2025 conference report

Published

23 hours ago

November 9, 2025

Ahron Young

China dominates AI and 6G patents, securing 60% and 40.3% of global applications respectively, says 2025 conference report

In Short:
– China holds 60% of global AI patents and 40.3% of 6G patent applications.
– The country leads in 5G infrastructure with 4.55 million base stations and 1.12 billion users.

China has emerged as the leading holder of artificial intelligence patents, responsible for 60 percent of the global total.

The country also leads in next-generation 6G patent applications, accounting for 40.3 percent of worldwide filings. The insights were presented in reports at the 2025 World Internet Conference held from November 7-9 in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province.The conference showcased China’s technological advancements, highlighting participation from over 1,600 delegates across 130 nations.

As of June 2025, China has established 4.55 million 5G base stations, with 1.12 billion 5G mobile phone users.

The nation’s computing power has reached 788 EFLOPS, boasting 10.85 million standard racks in operation, ranking among the world’s top infrastructures. Projections estimate that China’s 6G industry will soar to 1.2 trillion yuan by 2030, with industrial applications making up 40 percent and smart cities at 30 percent.

The quantum computing sector is expected to reach 11.56 billion yuan in 2025, with growth rates surpassing 30 percent.

Market Leadership

China continues to hold the title of the largest e-commerce market globally for the 12th consecutive year, with 974 million online shoppers recorded by December 2024.

Online retail sales reflected a 7.2 percent increase. JD.com’s founder announced plans for an unmanned delivery station by April 2026, while Alibaba is developing a “super AI cloud” for global developers.