If Rudolph wanted to join a herd of elephants helping Santa Claus deliver presents in Thailand, he would need something more than a red nose—he would need a trunk. This week, as part of an annual tradition, mahouts dressed up as Santa Claus escorted the gentle giants to a school in the central region of Thailand where they distributed Christmas …

After coming under fire from users and consumer safety groups over its removal, Twitter reinstated a feature that suggested suicide prevention hotlines and other safety options to users seeking for particular content. This tool was previously available on Twitter. According to a story that was published by Reuters on Friday, the function was removed a few days ago. The post …

TikTok and its parent firm ByteDance discovered that workers had exploited their credentials to monitor journalists in an attempt to prevent information breaches. Forbes reported (paywalled) on Thursday, December 22 that ByteDance’s internal inquiry revealed that staff examined the IP addresses and user data of Forbes journalists to see if they were in the general vicinity of a ByteDance employee …

The international tour of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music will arrive in Manila next year, providing a treat for theatergoers. The performance will run from March 7 to March 26, 2023 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati under the direction of Broadway International Group. Tickets have not yet been announced as of this publishing. The …

Authorities in Shanghai advised locals to stay at home this weekend, aiming for a subdued Christmas in the nation’s most populated metropolis as COVID-19 rages nationally following the removal of strict restrictions. Saturday, December 24, a branch of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission encouraged young people to avoid crowded gatherings owing to the ease of coronavirus transmission and cold temperatures. …

In 2018, a survey by the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) determined that the first class of SHS graduates possessed “theoretically” 93% of the competences required by the nation’s businesses, such as critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. In contrast, according to a second PBEd research, just 20% of the nation’s top 70 corporations across all industries were interested in hiring …

Daystar Peterson, also known as Tory Lanez, was found guilty on Friday, December 23 by a Los Angeles jury of shooting fellow artist Megan Thee Stallion in both feet during a dispute in 2020, according to prosecutors. The jury convicted Lanez, 30, guilty of three felonies: carrying a loaded and unlicensed firearm in a motor vehicle, assault with a semiautomatic …

Since their announcement, the inaugural China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, which ushered in a new era in Chinese-Arab ties, have attracted global interest, and their successful convening has brought China-Arab and China-GCC relations to new heights. As the globe grapples with increased uncertainty and a potentially protracted economic slowdown, the partnership between China and Arab …

It is commonly known that apps with star ratings below four stars have a negative impact on their chances of getting listed. A poor app rating tells retailers that there are problems that need to be fixed before they can confidently feature the app. We were curious to know if there was a correlation between review volume and average star …

Microsoft stated on December 22 that its $69 billion offer to acquire Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard will benefit both gamers and gaming firms. Microsoft made the claim in a document intended at persuading a court at the US Federal Trade Commission to approve the acquisition, after FTC commissioners warned the merger would impede competition in the gaming sector …