BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
WeChat is suspending all new user registrations until early August, the popular social messaging app announced on Tuesday.
In a brief post on social media, WeChat, known as Weixin in China, said the suspension relates to an upgrade of security technology "according to relevant laws and regulations."
"In the meantime, the registration of new WeChat personal accounts and public accounts will be temporarily suspended," the app, which is owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent, added. New registrations will resume after the upgrade is completed, which is expected in early August, the company said.
Weixin is a daily necessity for hundreds of millions of people in China, who use the app to message friends, share photos, hail rides, pay for stuff, book restaurants, order food and a host of other services. Together, Weixin and WeChat, used by the Chinese diaspora including in the United States, have around 1.2 billion monthly active users.
It was not immediately clear which laws WeChat was referring to in its announcement, but the development comes amid a widening crackdown on technology and now education companies by Chinese regulators that has spooked investors. Tencent's stock in Hong Kong closed down nearly 9 per cent on Tuesday, its worst day in a decade.
Several tech companies, including e-commerce giant Alibaba, have faced investigations for alleged monopolistic behavior or breaches of customer rights, leading to record fines and massive overhauls. Chinese President Xi Jinping has endorsed the probes, calling on regulators to scrutinize tech companies as the country tightens data privacy and security policies.
The share prices of Chinese tech companies, including Alibaba, Tencent and food delivery platform Meituan have all taken a hammering this week. Meituan closed nearly 18 per cent lower in Hong Kong on Tuesday — eclipsing Monday's 14 per cent loss — after Chinese regulators issued new guidelines calling for improved standards for food delivery workers.
Earlier this month, China's Cyberspace Administration suspended the registration of new users from ride-hailing app Didi, torpedoing the company's stock just two days after its blockbuster New York IPO, which was the biggest U.S. share offering by a Chinese company since Alibaba debuted in 2014.
The regulator said it put the suspension in place to "prevent the expansion of risk" during a "cybersecurity review," but provided no details on why the probe was launched.
Days later, the internet watchdog proposed that any company with data on more than 1 million users must seek the agency's approval before listing its shares overseas. It also proposed that companies submit IPO materials to the agency for review ahead of listing.
The clampdown on private businesses could further dent foreign investors' confidence in China stocks, analysts at Nomura wrote in a research note on Monday. "Bruised and shaken investors are now likely to ponder which other areas could potentially become the next target of expanded state control," they said.
— Laura He, Michelle Toh and Sherisse Pham contributed reporting.
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.