Big strides in key areas of economy seen
Blind shih tzu garners social media following, inspires locally made ‘Be Brave Like Dan’ merchThe world's tallest woman and the world's shortest woman have met for afternoon tea in London to celebrate Guinness World Records Day. Rumeysa Gelgi, who stands 215.16 centimeters (7 feet 0.7 inches) tall, and Jyoti Amge, who measures just 62.8 centimeters (2 feet 0.7 inches), met at the Savoy Hotel, according to a statement from Guinness World Records (GWR) on Wednesday. The height difference between the two women might be a massive 152.36 centimeters (5 feet), but the pair reportedly got on famously. "We do have things in common. We both love make-up, self-care, jewelry and doing our nails," said Gelgi in the statement. "It was difficult for us to make eye contact at times due to our height difference, but it was great," she added. Amge added that she was "so happy" to meet her fellow record holder. Gelgi, a web designer from Turkey, was confirmed as the tallest woman living in 2021. Her height is due to an extremely rare condition called Weaver syndrome. She was only the 27th person in the world to be diagnosed with the syndrome, according to GWR. Gelgi, 27, also holds the records for largest hands on a woman at 24.93 centimeters (9.81 inches); the longest back on a living person (female) at 59.90 centimeters (23.58 inches); and the longest ears on a person (female) at an average size of 9.58 centimeters (3.77 inches). Gelgi has also been featured in a GWR documentary named "Rumeysa: Walking Tall," which follows her on a journey across the U.S., meeting fellow record holders. Amge, an actress and media personality born in India, has a bone growth disorder named achondroplasia that affects the arms and legs. The disorder occurs early in a fetus' development in the womb and affects the cartilage tissue that should become a child's arms and legs. Despite her small stature, she is a big presence on social media and has also appeared on the U.S. television series "American Horror Story: Freak Show" in the role of Ma Petite. This means she is officially the shortest actress ever, GWR said. Amge has also appeared on the Italian TV show "Lo Show Dei Record" on various occasions. GWR editor-in-chief Craig Glenday met with the pair in London and said that the records are about "celebrating differences." "By bringing together these two amazing, iconic women, they can share their perspectives on life with each other and, also, with us," said Glenday in the statement. Both Gelgi and Amge have been named GWR ICONS, a new category introduced for the book's 2025 edition.'Time capsule' photos salvaged from landfill to preserve memory of scrapped SC submarine
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I’ve lived outside permanently for five years and eat roadkill, people are disgusted but it’s saved me £13,350China’s economy has demonstrated robust resilience over the past five years despite headwinds, with the latest national economic census pointing to significant strides in key areas including economic scale, structural optimization, and innovation-driven and digitally fueled development. Looking forward, officials and experts said China’s economy is on track for steady and sustainable growth in the long run, given its ultra-large domestic market, the advancement of industrial transformation and upgrading, a thriving digital economy and comprehensive deepening of reforms. The fifth national economic census showed on Thursday that China’s GDP for 2023 was revised up to 129.4 trillion yuan ($17.7 trillion), an increase of 3.4 trillion yuan compared with the earlier, preliminary calculation. Revising GDP data is a common practice worldwide, as GDP figures are not fixed after the initial calculation. Instead, they are continuously updated based on more complete and reliable data, as preliminary figures typically prioritize timeliness and rely on the availability of basic data, which may result in sacrificing some degree of completeness and detail. “China’s GDP reached nearly 130 trillion yuan in 2023, maintaining its position as the world’s second-largest economy,” said Kang Yi, head of the National Bureau of Statistics. “Over the past five years, China’s contribution to global economic growth has averaged around 30 percent, making it the largest driver of growth for the world economy.” Kang told a news conference held in Beijing on Thursday that compared with the results of the fourth national economic census, China’s economic development has shown significant positive changes in aspects such as overall scale, structural optimization, innovation-driven growth and green transformation, demonstrating strong resilience and tremendous potential. Data from the fifth national economic census showed that a total of 33.27 million legal entities were engaged in the secondary and tertiary industries as of the end of 2023, up 52.7 percent compared with the figures at the end of 2018. The role of technology in driving industrial upgrading has become more evident, with a noticeable acceleration in the application of new technologies and processes. The number of patent applications filed by industrial enterprises above the designated size reached 614,000 in 2023, up 65.1 percent compared with 2018. Enterprises above the designated size are those with annual revenue of at least 20 million yuan. Meanwhile, the research and development expenditure of industrial enterprises above the designated size hit 2.1 trillion yuan, an increase of 61.9 percent from 2018. Notably, industries related to strategic emerging sectors saw robust growth, with 96,000 large industrial enterprises in these fields by the end of 2023, representing nearly one-fifth of the country’s major industrial companies. While dismissing some pessimistic views on the Chinese economy propagated by some Western media and scholars, experts said China still has the conditions and capabilities to strengthen economic momentum and foster steady and high-quality growth in the long term. Joe Ngai, chairman of management consultancy McKinsey China, reaffirmed his belief that “the next China is still China”, saying that there is no substitute for the Chinese market, whether as a market for products or in terms of demand. In fact, China’s economic structure has continued to improve in recent years. The added value of China’s tertiary industry, a term for the services sector of the economy, accounted for 56.3 percent of the country’s GDP in 2023, an increase of over 2 percentage points compared with 2018, NBS data showed. Meanwhile, the number of legal entities in the manufacturing sector reached more than 4 million by the end of 2023, a 23.8 percent increase from 2018, with total assets in the sector growing 41.7 percent to 151 trillion yuan. Zhang Ming, deputy director of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Finance and Banking, said that looking ahead, China’s annual GDP growth rate is likely to reach 4.7 percent to 5 percent in 2025 if the government takes expansionary moves in macroeconomic adjustments. Source: China Daily
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Software company MicroStrategy has purchased more than $5 billion worth of bitcoin, according to new financial disclosures. On Nov. 25, the Tysons Corner, Virginia, software company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that it had purchased about 55,500 bitcoins for about $5.4 billion in cash between Nov. 18 and Nov. 24. The moves brought its total holdings of the digital currency to 386,700 tokens. At the current price, that translates to about $36.8 billion of holdings. MicroStrategy’s stock crashed following news of the purchase, falling to as low as $383.80 a share in morning trading from an opening price of $440.75. However, as of about midday on Monday, the price recovered to about $405 a share. MicroStrategy describes itself as the “world’s first and largest Bitcoin treasury company,” using cryptocurrency as its primary treasury reserve asset. “We strategically accumulate Bitcoin and advocate for its role as digital capital,” the company said in a recent statement. “Our treasury strategy is designed to provide investors varying degrees of economic exposure to Bitcoin by offering a range of securities, including equity and fixed-income instruments.” In addition, the company makes and sells analytics software. Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a digital asset secured via encryption technology in an unalterable and publicly visible way. Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin make it possible to transfer value online without a bank or payment processor. As a digital asset, cryptocurrency is not backed by governments, central banks, or physical assets. Although bitcoin began as an obscure novelty valued at less than 10 cents per token, its price has exploded over the past decade. As of about midday on Nov. 25, the cryptocurrency was trading at about $95,845 per token. That is a massive increase from the $44,200 per token the digital asset traded for at the beginning of 2024. Bitcoin’s 2024 bull run got a giant boost after Election Day. The price of bitcoin rose by about 39 percent between Nov. 4 and Nov. 25. Bitcoin advocates, such as the political group Stand With Crypto, said voters sent politicians to Capitol Hill who will enact policies more favorable to the ascendant crypto industry. President-elect Donald Trump promised to keep the United States the world’s leader in cryptocurrency. Trump selected Howard Lutnick, a financier with solid ties to alternative cryptocurrency Tether, as his commerce secretary. According to its Monday SEC filing, MicroStrategy has purchased about 197,550 bitcoins in 2024. In a recent appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor said his business makes money by “selling the volatility and recycling it back into bitcoin.” “We expect that [bitcoin’s] going to go up 29 percent a year for the next 21 years. It’s been going up 60 percent a year,” Saylor said on CNBC. “Over the last two weeks, we generated $5.4 billion in BTC gains. We’re making $500 million a day.” In an X post published on Monday, Saylor said its bitcoin purchases delivered an annual yield of about 59.3 percent to the company’s shareholders. If bitcoin’s price were to reach $100,000 per token by the end of the year, Saylor said, that would equate to a yield of $11.2 billion in 2024.Mother orca and her children make 'grocery shopping' trip near downtown VancouverChargers WR Ladd McConkey sets franchise rookie records in rout of Patriots
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Emerance Maschmeyer turned in 34 saves on 35 shots on goal and the Ottawa Charge held off the New York Sirens 3-1 on Sunday for their second win in six games. Playing their first game in 10 days, the Charge got a first-period goal from Emily Clark and Shiann Darkangelo and Kateřina Mrázová added second-period goals to build a 3-0 lead through two periods. Ottawa has scored at least three goals in all five of its meetings with New York over two seasons. Alex Carpenter earned a third-period assist to extend her scoring streak to nine straight games dating to last season. Sarah Fillier's goal moved her into a tie for the league lead with eight points in her first eight games after being drafted No. 1 by the Sirens. Ottawa's defense neutralized much of New York's speed advantage and used a strong penalty kill to take a 1-0 lead after one period after Clark tipped home a wrist shot from the point by Brianne Jenner six minutes into the game. The Charge added two goals in the first seven minutes of the second period but could not capitalize on a pair of power plays late in the period. Fillier wasted little time getting New York on the board in the third period, firing a shot past Maschmeyer 23 seconds into the period, but the keeper saved the next dozen shots, including an almost three-minute finish when the Sirens pulled goalkeeper Corinne Schroeder to gain a player advantage. New York's Jill Saulnier was activated off long-term injured reserve following an upper body injury sustained in the opening game December 1. AP hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/hockeyMother orca and her children make 'grocery shopping' trip near downtown VancouverAirline seats are too small — what should we do about it?