The US used B-2 stealth bombers in strikes against Houthi underground weapons storage locations in Yemen. AP
The US used B-2 stealth bombers in strikes against Houthi underground weapons storage locations in Yemen. AP

US stealth bombers hit Houthi weapons sites in Yemen, Pentagon says



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US B-2 stealth bombers struck weapons storage sites linked to Houthi rebels in Yemen, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday, the latest effort to blunt attacks by the Iran-backed group that have roiled commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

The bombers and other aircraft conducted precision strikes against five hardened underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Mr Austin said.

“US forces targeted several of the Houthis’ underground facilities housing various weapons components of types that the Houthis have used to target civilian and military vessels throughout the region,” he said. “This was a unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened or fortified.”

The employment of Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers demonstrates America's global strike capabilities, he added.

The US and Israel have repeatedly struck the Houthis, who began attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after Israel began its campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack.

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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash

Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.

Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.

Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.

Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.

Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Updated: October 17, 2024, 4:46 AM

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