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Authorities Confirm Taco Bell as Source of Explosive Diarrhea Parasite
US health authorities have confirmed that Taco Bell restaurants served lettuce contaminated with the parasite Cyclospora, linking the chain to a nationwide outbreak of diarrhoeal illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traced the contamination to lettuce sourced from Mexico and served at Taco Bell branches in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia,…
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IPL 2026 Powers India’s JioStar to $1.14 Billion Quarter and Streaming Record
JioStar, India’s leading media platform, posted revenue of INR10,946 crore ($1.14 billion) for the quarter ending 30 June 2026, a 14% year-on-year rise fuelled by subscription growth and stronger digital advertising. The results were driven largely by the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, which reached a combined 1.2 billion viewers across digital and linear…
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‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ Anchors India’s Strongest Post-Pandemic First Half at the Box Office
India’s cinema box office recorded its strongest first half of any year since the pandemic, taking INR6,398 crore ($664.7 million) between January and June 2026, according to Ormax Media. The result, up nearly INR650 crore on the same period in 2025, was driven heavily by the Hindi-language action sequel “Dhurandhar: The Revenge”, which alone accounted…
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Beijing’s message to the world’s tourists: come here and judge China for yourselves | Zichen Wang
In a comment piece for the Guardian, Zichen Wang argues that Beijing is pursuing a deliberate strategy of openness towards foreign visitors, even as its wider relationship with the west grows more tense. By dramatically expanding visa-free travel, China is betting that first-hand exposure to the country – rather than geopolitical headlines about espionage crackdowns…
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A Nintendo patent for a dock compatible with the Switch 2 and the OG Switch has been discovered, and I want one
A Nintendo Patent published in China has been discovered which alludes to a dock that’s compatible with both the Nintendo Switch 2 and older Switch console.
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Indigenous Missionary Biopic ‘Mussau: The First Song’ to Shoot in Papua New Guinea With Indian National Film Award Winner Bijukumar Damodaran Directing (EXCLUSIVE)
Papua New Guinea-based NAFA Productions has unveiled “Mussau: The First Song,” a historical biopic rooted in the life of Taula Lovovoa, one of the first indigenous Seventh-day Adventist missionaries from Mussau Island. Set in the 1930s, the film charts Lovovoa’s journey of transformation and reconciliation on an island that Australian colonial reports of the era…
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COLDRAIN Announces New Album ‘Optimize = Optdemise’, Releases ‘Ex-Humanity’ Single
Japanese alt-metal band COLDRAIN have announced their eighth studio album, “Optimize = Optdemise”, due for release on 25 September 2026 via Century Media Records. The announcement comes alongside the release of a new single, “Ex-Humanity”, the sixth track revealed from the record and the band’s first fresh material since their “Optimize” EP came out in…
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Asian nation with 1,500-year-old imperial line insists only men can become emperor in policy revision
Japan’s Parliament voted on Friday to enshrine male-only succession to the imperial throne, formally revising the Imperial House Law that has governed the world’s oldest continuous monarchy. The decision effectively bars Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, from ever inheriting the throne, despite warnings from experts that restricting succession to…
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Review: Culdcept BEGINS – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – A Great Distillation Of This Addictive Series’ Mechanics
Culdcept BEGINS is a soft reboot of the long-running Culdcept board/card game franchise, released for Nintendo Switch 2, and serves as a newcomer-friendly entry point into a series that has historically struggled to find a wide audience outside Japan. The review praises it as an addictive, if occasionally strange, distillation of the series’ core mechanics,…
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China dismisses Trump election interference accusations as ‘entirely fabricated,’ threatens countermeasures
China has rejected accusations from US President Donald Trump that Beijing interfered in the 2020 presidential election, calling the claims “entirely fabricated” and warning of possible countermeasures. The dispute arose after Trump used a primetime address to allege that Chinese officials sought to influence the outcome of the vote, adding to ongoing tensions between Washington…