China warns it is prepared for ‘any type of war’ with US

China has warned the U.S. it is ready to fight “any type” of war as it retaliates against President Donald Trump‘s mounting trade tariffs – while raising spending on its military.

The trade war between the two superpowers escalated on Tuesday as Trump hiked his levies on Chinese goods to a total of 20 percent, and China retaliated by imposing 15 percent tariffs on American agricultural goods.

The Chinese embassy in Washington, in a post on X, said: “If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.”

The embassy spokesperson appears to have reiterated the Chinese foreign ministry’s statement, which was issued shortly after Trump’s levies took effect.

The foreign ministry claimed China will fight the U.S. “to the bitter end” if the U.S. “persists in waging a tariff war, a trade war, or any other kind of war.”

It comes as China said it will boost its defense spending by 7.2 per cent this year. The increase, announced in a government report due to be released in parliament, matches last year’s figure.

It remains well above China’s economic growth target for this year of roughly 5 percent. Since Xi Jinping became president and commander-in-chief more than a decade ago, the defense budget has ballooned to 1.78 trillion yuan (£191.5 billion) this year from 720 billion yuan in 2013.

Mr Xi aims to complete full military modernization by 2035, with China’s military developing new missiles, ships, submarines and surveillance technologies.

Trump has justified fresh tariffs on Chinese goods by blaming Beijing for the fentanyl opioid crisis in the U.S. He claimed that a “large percentage” of these deadly substances were made in China.

China has accused the White House of “blackmail” over its tariff hike, claiming it has some of the world’s toughest anti-drug policies.

Beijing’s foreign ministry lashed out, saying: “Intimidation does not scare us. Bullying does not work on us. Pressuring, coercion or threats are not the right way of dealing with China.”

“Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating,” it added.

In his address to the joint session of the U.S. Congress, Trump claimed other countries have used tariffs against the U.S. for decades. “Now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries. On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Canada … and countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. It’s very unfair,” the president said.

“China’s average tariff on our products is twice what we charge them,” he claimed.

Beijing’s commerce ministry on Tuesday claimed Washington’s “unilateral tax measures seriously violate [World Trade Organisation] WTO rules and undermine the foundation of China-US economic and trade cooperation”. China last month filed a complaint against the US with the WTO for violating trade rules.

Trade relations between the U.S. and China plunged during Trump’s first presidency after he announced tariffs on Beijing over a massive trade surplus in 2018. The two-year-long trade war sent the world economy into a tizzy as the global supply chain suffered due to tit-for-tat tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods.

Trade and diplomatic relations limped back to normalcy during Joe Biden’s administration but have since nosedived following Trump’s tariff salvo.

The U.S. State Department now says the U.S. works to “deter China’s aggression, combat China’s unfair trade policies, counter China’s malicious cyber activity, end China’s global trafficking of fentanyl precursors…”

Thai couple who set world record for longest kiss have now separated

A Thai couple who had set the Guinness World Record for the longest kiss in 2013 have now separated.

Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat kissed continuously for 58 hours and 35 minutes, breaking their own 2011 record in 2013. Their first record in 2011 was a 46-hour and 24-minute kiss.

However, 56-year-old Mr Ekkachai has now confirmed that they have separated.

Mr Ekkachai told BBC News World Service podcast Witness History that he was “trying to cherish the good memories” and that he is “very proud” of their Guinness World Record.

The record-breaking kiss took place at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! event at Pattaya in Thailand, starting on 12 February 2013 and ending on Valentine’s Day.

He added: “I am very proud. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We spent a long time together, and I’m trying to cherish the good memories of what we achieved together.”

The couple didn’t share many details about their separation. Despite parting ways, Ekkachai said that they have respect for each other.

During the podcast, which was aired on 17 February, Mr Ekkachai recalled the Guinness competition’s gruelling rules, including staying locked in a kiss even during bathroom breaks and transferring water mouth-to-mouth.

“I was stunned by all the rules, but we decided the show must go on, we must commit. That’s the decision we had made,” he said.

In 2011, when they won, he said: “My family and friends congratulated me. They were happy for me. In response, I told them, only crazy people would accomplish something like that. A normal person wouldn’t try it.”

In 2013, they were hesitant to compete. Ms Laksana, who was aged 33 at the time, had just recovered from an illness, and Mr Ekkachai had planned a trip for her instead. However, the lure of a 50,000 Thai Baht prize and a diamond ring convinced them to try again.

They had attempted to get their title back in 2012 also but at the time, they lost to another couple as Ekkschai had fallen ill.

“After we lost in 2012 we discussed whether to go back, but we decided we wanted to win back our record. It was our Roman Empire. We wanted to take back what belonged to us,” he said during the podcast.

He said: “We tried to stand straight like statues. Instead of pinching (to stay awake) we were tapping each other on the head with one hand and on the other hand, we were hugging each other to keep each other awake.”

They had to beat the record of 50 hours and 25 minutes. And the prize money was two diamond rings and 100,000 Thai baht (around $3,000).

When finally they won, Mr Ekkachai recalled that he was so tired that “I didn’t want to stand up anymore. I wanted to drink water. I just wanted to rest and drink.”

In 2013, after 15 years, Guinness World Records deactivated the longest kiss category, saying it had become too dangerous and some of the rules conflicted with their current updated policies. Guinness World Record said in a statement on their website at the time: “Although we no longer monitor the longest kiss record, we have replaced it with something else: the longest kissing marathon.

“The crucial difference, as with all our ‘longest marathon’ records, is that challengers are permitted rest breaks. After every continuous hour of kissing, challengers earn five minutes of rest, which can be accumulated if not used.

“Challengers are allowed to sleep, eat, and separate their lips during these rest breaks, mitigating the risk of passing out, suffering psychosis, or requiring resuscitation.”

Several kissing contest participants have suffered health issues over the years. In 1999, record holders Karmit Tzubera and Dror Orpaz nearly fainted after kissing for 30 hours and had to be hospitalised.

In 2004, Andrea Sarti required oxygen after enduring muscle cramps during a 31-hour kiss. In 2011, a contestant passed out just 30 minutes into the challenge.

Mr Ekkachai and 45-year-old Laksana are still the final holders of this record before it was deactivated.

12 dead in double suicide bombing that severely damaged mosque

A city is in mourning after a devastating twin suicide bombing claimed the lives of 12 people.

The attack, which targeted a military base in northwestern Pakistan’s Bannu on Tuesday evening, occurred as residents were breaking their Ramadan fast and attending prayers at a nearby mosque.

Two suicide bombers initiated the assault by breaching the base’s perimeter wall, followed by a group of attackers who stormed the compound, engaging soldiers in a fierce firefight.

The powerful explosions caused widespread destruction, tearing down walls, ripping off roofs, and severely damaging the mosque.

Thirty people were also wounded in the attack, some critically.

Casualty figures released so far do not include any military personnel, leaving the number of soldiers killed or injured unknown.

On Wednesday, the city observed a day of mourning as the community grappled with the aftermath.

A mechanical digger worked to clear the rubble of destroyed homes, and debris-covered prayer mats lay scattered on the mosque floor.

Joint funeral prayers for the victims were scheduled to be held at a local sports complex, Bannu community elder Alam Khan said.

Gunshots could still be heard early on Wednesday morning as security forces combed through the area, looking to clear it of any militants involved in the attack.

“All education institutions are closed,” Mr Khan said.

“Most shops are also shut. Rescue workers have completed their operation by recovering the bodies of three deceased worshippers who were trapped under the collapsed roof of the mosque.”

The two suicide bombers blew themselves up near the wall of the sprawling military area, a security official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters.

“After a breach in the wall, five to six more attackers attempted to enter the cantonment but were eliminated,” the security official said.

Bannu is located in the northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that borders Afghanistan and several armed groups are active there.

A group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, Jaish Al-Fursan, has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, the group said the source of the blasts were explosive-laden vehicles.

Second Sydney nurse charged for threatening Israeli patients

Police have charged a second Sydney nurse over a video posted online that allegedly made threats to Israeli patients.

Ahmad Rashad Nadir, a 27-year-old nurse who worked at Bankstown-Lidcombe hospital, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend, and possessing a prohibited drug, the Sutherland police said.

Mr Nadir has been granted conditional bail and was due in court on 19 March.

Mr Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 26, were suspended from their duties at the hospital over antisemitism after a video of them was posted online in which they allegedly threatened to deny treatment to Israeli patients or kill them.

Ms Labdeh was arrested in February and charged with the federal offences of threatening violence to a group, using a carriage service to threaten to kill and using a carriage service to menace and harass, police said. The charges carried a potential maximum penalty of 22 years in prison.

Mr Nadir was interviewed by the police earlier and has reportedly apologised for the video last month through his lawyer.

The hospital examined patient records and found no evidence that the nurses had harmed patients.

In the video, the nurses, wearing their uniforms, purportedly engaged in a conversation on the chat platform Chatruletka with Jewish content creator Max Veifer. After learning that Mr Veifer was from Israel, one of the nurses allegedly said if patients from the country came to their hospital, she would not treat them. “I won’t treat them, I’ll kill them,” she said.

The other nurse, a man, said: “Eventually you’re going to get killed and you’re going to go to (hell).”

The incident comes amid a wave of antisemitic attacks targeting Jews in Australia in the backdrop of Israel’s war on Gaza. Recent months have seen attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars belonging to Jews across the country as well as the discovery of a caravan carrying explosives and a list of Jewish targets in Sydney.

New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb said the antisemitism taskforce called the Strike Force Pearl has arrested 15 people and laid a total of 78 charges.

“I must commend the work Strike Force Pearl detectives are doing to investigate, charge and put these individuals before the courts,” she said on Wednesday, according to The Guardian.

“There is a tremendous amount of dedication and hard work going into all these investigations. “Detectives have overcome many challenges – including huge public expectation – to put these individuals before the court,” Ms Webb said.

The duo have been barred by the Australian health practitioner watchdog from working in the profession nationwide “in any context”.