Second Taiwan-born panda cub makes media debut

Speaking after a summit in Brussels, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reaffirms the United States' commitment to continue to help Taiwan 'defend itself' against threats from China. Recent comments by US President Joe Biden sparked a new firestorm in Washington-Beijing relations, when he affirmed that the United States had an agreement to help defend US ally Taiwan. Authoritarian China regards self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if needed.

The president has again said that he has a commitment to defend Taiwan should China attack, contradicting the US's decades-old policy toward the island. It has prompted official clarification about the US's role in Asia.

A live broadcast video from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been removed from Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. In the video, the president falsely stated that UK citizens are developing AIDS after receiving two Covid-19 vaccine doses. After the video was posted, fact-checking and governmental entities scrambled to clarify that there is no evidence to demonstrate a link between Covid-19 vaccines and the development of viruses such as HIV.

Facebook began this week by announcing more than $9 billion in quarterly profits, an increase of about 17 percent. The social media giant also announced that it now has close to three billion users. But all is not well on the Facebook front as Mark Zuckerberg’s platform has been facing a deluge of scathing reports.

China opposed the representation of Taiwan at the international stage after the US called for a more "meaningful" participation of the island in United Nations bodies.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Beijing to deescalate tensions in the Pacific during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

A group of EU lawmakers has concluded its three-day visit to Taiwan amid accusations of provocation from Beijing. The delegation has called for more international engagement.

Taipei has said it is one of the largest Chinese incursions into Taiwan's air defense identification zone since early October, coming right after an EU delegation visited Taipei to work on building ties.

Taipei said it aims to build a "resilient defense" to cope with rising military threats made by China. The threats reportedly include overflights of Taiwanese airspace and cyber warfare.

A teenager in the United States was rescued after flashing a hand signal that was popularized on TikTok indicating domestic violence. Experts say sharing such resources on social media can help those most at risk.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke to his Chinese counterpart amid rising international concern over Beijing's recent military incursions into Taiwan's air defense zone.