World
AI Summary
- President Trump’s confrontational foreign policy is significantly straining transatlantic relations, with European leaders increasingly uneasy about the future of NATO and questioning America's commitment, even as discussions around Trump's "Board of Peace" and Greenland proposals continue to unfold.
- Major global economic corridors like IMEC are faltering due to regional conflicts, while emerging blocs such as BRICS are actively exploring new roles in international maritime security, signaling a pivot in global trade and geopolitical alignments.
- The tech industry is witnessing significant shifts as TikTok navigates regulatory hurdles with a new US-based entity, and the spotlight remains on China's expanding influence in AI and electric vehicle manufacturing, underscored by discussions on energy infrastructure challenges.
- Alarming reports from organizations like Oxfam highlight a stark increase in global billionaire wealth contrasting with stalled poverty reduction efforts, prompting development charities to critically re-evaluate and "decolonize" their aid practices.
- Domestically, the US is embroiled in escalating political and legal confrontations, including former Special Counsel Jack Smith's congressional testimony on the January 6th investigation, ongoing debates over aggressive immigration policies, and President Trump's various legal battles and proposals for tariff rebates.
ZeroHedge
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Finnish President Claims Europe Can 'Unequivocally' Defend Itself Without US
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Finnish President Claims Europe Can 'Unequivocally' Defend Itself Without US Donald Trump's opposition to the US continuing to bankroll NATO has become a defining issue in global politics, so much so that a considerable percentage of time and energy at the ongoing Davos conference has been spent talking about it. During a panel discussion on Europe’s defense capabilities with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Finnish President Alexander Stubb argued that Europe 'unequivocally' has the ability to defend itself without US support. The claim coincides with the Finnish leader's assertion that a " new world order" is rising with the
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IMEC's Future Is Once Again In Doubt
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
IMEC's Future Is Once Again In Doubt Authored by Andrew Korybko, The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which was envisaged as a game-changing geo-economic megaproject when it was announced in September 2023 at the G20 Summit in Delhi, was abruptly frozen by the Gaza War that broke out a month later and the West Asian War that followed. The end of those conflicts then gave rise to optimism that Saudi Arabia would normalize ties with Israel like it reportedly planned to do prior to their outbreak as the political prerequisite for building IMEC. After all, without the normalization of Israeli-Saudi ties, there can be
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Netanyahu Skipped 'Board Of Peace' Signing In Davos On ICC Arrest Fears
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Netanyahu Skipped 'Board Of Peace' Signing In Davos On ICC Arrest Fears One of the more interesting aspects to the Thursday signing ceremony for President Donald Trump's 'Board of Peace' in Davos, Switzerland was who was not in attendance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to attend the signing ceremony, but not necessarily by choice, as he is currently unable to travel to much of Europe on fears of being arrested. via Associated Press In 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging war crimes that included using starvation as a weapon of war and
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EU Parliament Vote Sends Mercosur Trade Deal Into Legal Limbo
3 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
EU Parliament Vote Sends Mercosur Trade Deal Into Legal Limbo Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News, The European Parliament has voted to ask the Court of Justice of the European Union to rule on the legality of the EU–Mercosur trade agreement, a move that delays ratification of the deal, but the European Commission could still apply the agreement “provisionally” if Germany has its way. MEPs meeting in Strasbourg approved the referral by 334 votes to 324, following intense lobbying from farming groups and several member states opposed to the agreement. The vote took place against a backdrop of farmers’ protests outside the
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Is BRICS Gearing Up To Protect Global Maritime Trade Against All Enemies?
6 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Is BRICS Gearing Up To Protect Global Maritime Trade Against All Enemies? Authored by Miguel Santos García via GlobalResearch.ca, The inaugural BRICS joint naval exercise, “Will for Peace 2026”, that unfolded off the coast of South Africa from January 9 to the 16 marked a significant and symbolic evolution for the bloc but not without its hurdles. With the participation of naval forces from China, South Africa, Russia and Iran in the first multilateral military exercise under the BRICS, its location near the strategic chokepoint of Simon’s Town, SA – a crucial nexus between the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans – is a deliberate projection of presence into
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Billionaire Sports Mogul Has Quietly Become America's Largest Private Landowner
6 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Billionaire Sports Mogul Has Quietly Become America's Largest Private Landowner Stan Kroenke, the billionaire sports magnate who owns the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and England’s Arsenal FC, has quietly ascended to the top of America’s private landownership rankings, controlling more than 2.7 million acres following a blockbuster off-market acquisition in December, according to The Land Report. Stan Kroenke (photo via The Land Report) The deal saw Kroenke purchase over 937,000 acres of ranchland in New Mexico from the heirs of Teledyne founder Henry Singleton, marking the largest single private land transaction in the U.S. in more than a decade, according to The Land
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US Begins 'Transfer' Of ISIS Prisoners From Syria To Iraq, Mulls Full Withdrawal
7 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
US Begins 'Transfer' Of ISIS Prisoners From Syria To Iraq, Mulls Full Withdrawal Via The Cradle US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a fresh statement that it has launched a mission to transfer ISIS fighters from Syria to Iraqi government-controlled facilities. The announcement came hours after the Syrian army entered the Al-Hawl Camp in the country’s north, resulting in the escape of thousands of ISIS and ISIS-linked prisoners. “CENTCOM launched a new mission to transfer ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq … to help ensure the terrorists remain in secure detention facilities,” the CENTCOM statement said. “The transfer mission began while US forces successfully
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White House Aims For Cuba Regime Change By Year-End
7 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
White House Aims For Cuba Regime Change By Year-End Brimming with bravado after snatching Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a lightning raid on Caracas earlier this month, the Trump administration has now set a goal to end Communism in Cuba by the end of the year, according to sources who talked to the Wall Street Journal. Using the Venezuela operation as a blueprint, the White House is working to identify people inside the Cuban government who could be ripe for making a deal in which they use their position to help oust the current leadership, including President and First Secretary of the
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Greenland Remaining With Denmark Not Raised During Trump Talks, NATO Chief Says
7 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Greenland Remaining With Denmark Not Raised During Trump Talks, NATO Chief Says Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Jan. 21 that the issue of Greenland remaining part of Denmark did not come up during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks with NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 21, 2026. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Rutte, in an interview with Fox News, was asked about Greenland’s sovereignty under a proposed framework
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Canada's Military Preps Model Of Hypothetical US Invasion In Historic First
8 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Canada's Military Preps Model Of Hypothetical US Invasion In Historic First It's quite surprising, and a bit absurd, to read these lines in one of Canada's premier and most widely read newspapers: "The Canadian Armed Forces have modelled a hypothetical US military invasion of Canada and the country’s potential response, which includes tactics similar to those employed against Russia and later US-led forces in Afghanistan, two senior government officials say." This is widely believed to be a first in the history of Canada's military, given there's never been reason for this founding NATO member to be attacked by another founding member of NATO,
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House Speaker Endorses Impeachment Of Federal Judges Over Rulings
8 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
House Speaker Endorses Impeachment Of Federal Judges Over Rulings Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Jan. 21 that he would support articles of impeachment against some federal judges after congressional Republicans floated the prospect last year. During a press conference, a reporter asked Johnson about Senate Republicans suggesting that the House bring articles of impeachment against judges. Multiple Republicans have signaled they want to impeach two U.S. district judges, James Boasberg and Deborah Boardman. “I’m for it,” Johnson said during the Wednesday news conference alongside other Republican House members. “Judge Boasberg is one who’s been
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Trump Suggests He Can Send $2,000 Tariff Rebate Checks Without Congress
9 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Trump Suggests He Can Send $2,000 Tariff Rebate Checks Without Congress President Donald Trump claimed Tuesday that his administration could distribute $2,000 direct payments to Americans - a “dividend” from tariff proceeds - without congressional authorization, citing the absence of a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of his sweeping import duties. President Donald Trump speaks as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt listens in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump suggested that the surge in tariff revenue could fund the payouts
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Newsom's Gerrymander Just Might Have A Racial Discrimination Problem
9 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Newsom's Gerrymander Just Might Have A Racial Discrimination Problem Authored by Jonathan Turley, California Democrats face a pesky problem: their recent gerrymandering effort may have a racial discrimination problem. According to Ninth Circuit judge Kenneth Lee, the problem is District 13 and the public comments of the primary mapmaker, who declared his intention to create a Latino-dominated district. Democrats are bullish about retaking the House of Representatives and making Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) the next Speaker after the midterm elections. Part of that optimism is the cushion of five seats created through further gerrymandering of California’s U.S. House districts. According to one respected Ninth Circuit judge,
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"Go F**k Yourself!": Brawl Nearly Breaks Out During Jack Smith's Hearing
9 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
"Go F**k Yourself!": Brawl Nearly Breaks Out During Jack Smith's Hearing Former Special Counsel Jack Smith's congressional testimony on Thursday took an unexpected turn when a brawl nearly erupted. The showdown featured former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and conservative activist Ivan Raiklin. The confrontation happened during a break in Smith's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee. Video captured Fanone and Raiklin squaring off as former Capitol Police officers scrambled to pull Fanone back. "See how many people are restraining you, and look at me, totally in control over my mind and body," Ranklin shouted to Fanone. Former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who
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Massive Fraud Infuriates Minnesotans, Lawmakers, But Top Official Sees No Quick Fix
10 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Massive Fraud Infuriates Minnesotans, Lawmakers, But Top Official Sees No Quick Fix Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), ST. PAUL, Minn.—Erin Campbell, Minnesota’s top financial officer, told a state anti-fraud committee at the state Capitol on Jan. 21: “Unfortunately, there’s not a ‘silver bullet’ to stop the type of fraud that we’ve seen in our public-assistance programs.” Minnesota state Rep. Isaac Schultz, a Republican, speaks at a meeting of the Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 21, 2026. Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times The lack of a quick fix is largely because “state
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Texas AG Starts Investigation Into Vaccine-Related Financial Incentives
11 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Texas AG Starts Investigation Into Vaccine-Related Financial Incentives Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Jan. 21 said he’s investigating incentives related to vaccinating children. Paxton’s office said in a statement that the probe will cover pediatricians, insurers, vaccine companies, and other entities “engaged in deceptive or unlawful conduct by failing to disclose financial incentives connected to their administration of childhood vaccines.” It noted that some pediatricians kick out families that refuse to adhere to a vaccine schedule and that doctors can receive bonuses for vaccinating. An Epoch Times investigation found that insurers have offered bonuses as high
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Legislation Proposed To Make It Easier To Denaturalize Somali Fraudsters
11 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Legislation Proposed To Make It Easier To Denaturalize Somali Fraudsters In the wake of the massive Somali-fraud scandal out of Minnesota and other states, President Donald Trump wants to denaturalize American immigrants convicted of crimes and deport them, but the current legal framework and federal bureaucracy make such sweeping denaturalization efforts difficult to achieve quickly. “I would do it in a heartbeat if they were dishonest,” Trump told the New York Times earlier this month. “I think that many of the people that came in from Somalia, they hate our country.” Existing federal law provides limited pathways for revoking the citizenship of naturalized
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Narrative Control Made Easy: Us Versus Them
11 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Narrative Control Made Easy: Us Versus Them Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog, Those in charge of narrative control are suffering from the delusion that they're making sense. Everything is under control until it isn't. The name of the game in controlling the populace is narrative control, the current term for setting the context, priorities and agenda so the populace complies without being aware they've been bamboozled into accepting a system that benefits the few at the expense of the many. The easiest way to control the narrative is to establish the false choice of an either-or binary: Us versus Them. This is easy because it bypasses
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Trump Rages As Jack Smith Accidentally Exposed The Partisan Scam Behind The Jan 6 Probe
12 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Trump Rages As Jack Smith Accidentally Exposed The Partisan Scam Behind The Jan 6 Probe Jack Smith’s testimony before Congress did more than expose weaknesses in his own case against President Trump. It also laid bare just how partisan the entire January 6th investigation had become—and how willing Democrats were to elevate sensational claims they knew could never survive real scrutiny. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan zeroed in on one of the January 6th Committee’s most infamous moments: the prime-time hearing on June 28, 2022, built almost entirely around the committee’s star witness, Cassidy Hutchinson. Jordan reminded Smith that Hutchinson was “their
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Booming US Firearms Industry Could Get 2026 Deregulatory Boost From Trump Administration
12 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Booming US Firearms Industry Could Get 2026 Deregulatory Boost From Trump Administration Authored by John Haughey via The Epoch Times, Record sales made the first year of the second Trump administration a profitable one for the nation’s $92 billion firearms industry, but the potential for federal regulatory rollbacks in his second year could provide manufacturers and retailers with long-term assurances they need to thrive. That is why state lawmakers need to act fast, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden said, calling on Republicans in state capitols nationwide to “seize the opportunity we see right now with Trump” in the White House to adopt bills
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Intel Plunges On Another Quarter Of Dismal Guidance
12 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Intel Plunges On Another Quarter Of Dismal Guidance Intel is back to its old bag of post earnings rugpull tricks. The stock, which for some bizarre reason is up 50% in 2026 and almost 3x higher since August (it's actually not bizarre at all, with Trump pumping it at every opportunity but ultimately the fundamentals have to take over), tumbled after hours on an earnings release which was a tale of two parts. First, the historical data which was not terrible, but certainly not great. This is what the once glorious chipmaker reported for Q4: * Revenue $13.67 billion, down -4.1% y/y, but beating sandbagged estimates
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Massive Winter Storm Puts 230 Million Americans At Risk As Panic Buying Begins
12 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Massive Winter Storm Puts 230 Million Americans At Risk As Panic Buying Begins "If you're younger than 40 years old, then you may be experiencing the worst winter weather of your lifetime depending upon where you are over the next 10-14 days," meteorologist Ryan Maue warned on X, as Winter Storm Fern and a dangerous polar blast line up to deliver what could soon be a historic, winter storm event across the South, Midwest, and Northeast of the Lower 48 from Friday through Monday. > Parts of Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi that will see potentially crippling "ice accumulation" will also experience severe
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Demographics Deployed For Political Control
13 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Demographics Deployed For Political Control Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times, People are talking ever more about the possibility of civil war in the United States. The scenes on the streets do not look good, to be sure. That said, we are nowhere near this point and certainly don’t have to be. The trigger for the unfolding of events speaks to a tactic of control that unleashes resistance (and counterresistence) like no other. If this issue is resolved in peace and within the rule of law, normalcy can be restored. Let’s review some of the deeper history. At the height of the Roman Empire, when
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Minnesota Judge Blocks Federal Charges Against Don Lemon Over Anti-ICE Church Disruption
13 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Minnesota Judge Blocks Federal Charges Against Don Lemon Over Anti-ICE Church Disruption Update (1600ET): A Minnesota federal magistrate judge rejected charges against former CNN anchor Don Lemon in connection with a demonstration inside a St. Paul Christian church, where anti-ICE agitators shut down a Sunday service. As we detailed earlier (below), Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that three individuals - Chauntyll Louisa Allen, Nekima Levy Armstrong, and William Kelly - have been charged in connection to the church disruption. The Department of Justice had sought charges against Lemon, as well, but the judge refused to sign off on it. > 🚨 BREAKING: A federal
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Reparations Are A Welfare Scheme And Would Have No Effect On Racial Wealth Gaps
13 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
Reparations Are A Welfare Scheme And Would Have No Effect On Racial Wealth Gaps Authored by William L. Anderson via the Mises Institute, Since the 1960s, when racial turmoil exploded in the United States, there have been reparations demands, with groups representing black Americans calling for massive wealth transfers from whites and other economically successful ethnic groups to account for black chattel slavery in the US and the policies of Jim Crow. For example, during their heyday in the 1960s, the Black Panthers in 1966 called for a number of measures, including reparations, to bring about what they saw as justice. They
The Guardian
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ActionAid to rethink child sponsorship as part of plan to ‘decolonise’ its work
a day ago
by Kaamil Ahmed
Global development, Aid, Humanitarian response, Charities, Charitable giving, Society, Feminism, World news, Africa, Americas, Asia PacificDevelopment charity’s new co-chief executives signal shift from controversial sponsor a child scheme launched in 1972 to long-term grassroots funding Child sponsorship schemes that allow donors to handpick children to support in poor countries can carry racialised, paternalistic undertones and need to be transformed, the newly appointed co-chief executives of ActionAid UK said as they set out to “decolonise” the organisation’s work. ActionAid began in 1972 by finding sponsors for schoolchildren in India and Kenya, but Taahra Ghazi and Hannah Bond have launched their co-leadership this month with the goal of shifting narratives around aid from sympathy towards solidarity and partnership with
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Head of US Africa bureau urges staff to highlight US ‘generosity’ despite aid cuts
3 days ago
by Aisha Down
US foreign policy, Africa, USAID, Trump administration, Aid, US news, World news, US politicsEmail sent to diplomats by state department office’s new boss is labelled ‘racist’ after dismissing Africa as a priority US diplomats have been encouraged to “unabashedly and aggressively” remind African governments about the “generosity” of the American people, according to a leaked email sent to staff in the US state department’s Bureau of African Affairs this January and obtained by the Guardian. “It’s not gauche to remind these countries of the American people’s generosity in containing HIV/Aids or alleviating famine,” says the email. Continue reading...
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‘Brazen’ political influence of rich laid bare as wealth of billionaires reaches $18.3tn, says Oxfam
4 days ago
by Kaamil Ahmed
Global development, Inequality, Inequality and development, Oxfam, Protest, World news, Global economy, Economics, Business, Social exclusion, Rich lists, Kenya, Nepal, US political lobbying, Africa, US news, South and central Asia, SocietyGovernments opting for oligarchy while brutally repressing protests over austerity and lack of jobs, charity report says The world saw a record number of billionaires created last year, with a collective wealth of $18.3tn (£13.7tn), while global efforts stalled in the fight against poverty and hunger. Oxfam’s annual survey of global inequality has revealed that the number of billionaires surpassed 3,000 for the first time during 2025. Since 2020, their collective wealth grew by 81%, or $8.2tn, which the charity claims would be enough to eradicate global poverty 26 times over. Continue reading...
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Uganda’s president calls opponents 'terrorists' in victory speech
5 days ago
by Agence France-Presse
Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, Bobi Wine, Africa, World newsYoweri Museveni wins seventh term but poll criticised by observers and rights groups over repression of opposition and internet blackout Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, fresh from winning a seventh term in office at 81, said on Sunday that the opposition were “terrorists” who had tried to use violence to overturn the election results. Official results showed Museveni winning a landslide with 72% of the vote, but the poll was criticised by African election observers and rights groups due to the heavy repression of the opposition and an internet blackout. Continue reading...
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Yoweri Museveni wins Ugandan election as opponent condemns ‘fake result’
6 days ago
by William Christou
Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, Africa, World newsMuseveni’s opponent, Bobi Wine, alleges that members of polling staff were kidnapped and called for peaceful protests Yoweri Museveni, has won the Ugandan election and his seventh term with more than 70% of the vote, state election authorities have said, amid an internet shutdown and claims of fraud by his opponent. His opponent, a youthful musician known as Bobi Wine, condemned what he called “fake results” and alleged that members of polling staff were kidnapped, among other election irregularities. He called for peaceful protests to pressure the authorities to release what he called the “rightful results”. Continue reading...
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Trump withdraws invitation for Canada to join his global ‘board of peace’
8 hours ago
by Guardian staff and agencies
Donald Trump, Canada, Mark Carney, Davos 2026, US news, Davos, Americas, World news, US politics, US foreign policyWhile leaders of many liberal democracies declined to sign on, Mark Carney had, before Davos, accepted in principle Donald Trump withdrew on Thursday an invitation for Canada to join his “board of peace” initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. “Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post directed at the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney. Continue reading...
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House rejects resolution that would bar Trump from sending troops to Venezuela
10 hours ago
by Guardian staff and agencies
House of Representatives, Trump administration, Venezuela, Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Americas, US news, US politics, US Congress, US foreign policyVote on legislation falls just short of number needed for passage, showing Mike Johnson’s tenuous hold on majority The US House has rejected a resolution that would have prevented Donald Trump from sending US military forces to Venezuela, after a vote on the legislation fell just short of the majority needed for passage. The tied vote was the latest sign of House speaker Mike Johnson’s tenuous hold on the majority, as well as some of the growing pushback in the Republican-controlled Congress to the US president’s aggressions in the western hemisphere. A Senate vote on a similar resolution was also tied last
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Mark Carney says Canada must ‘be a beacon to a world that’s at sea’
12 hours ago
by Leyland Cecco in Toronto
Canada, Mark Carney, Donald Trump, Davos 2026, Americas, US news, World newsIn post-Davos speech, Canadian PM jabs at Trump, saying the arc of history ‘can still bend towards progress and justice’ Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, said his country must be a “beacon to a world that’s at sea” and that national unity was critical as his government faces a dramatic reshaping of the world political order – and mounting domestic challenges The national address, given at a historic military fortress in Quebec City, was far narrower in scope than the prime minister’s remarks earlier in the week at the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland. Dubbed the ‘Carney Doctrine’, the Davos speech
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Davos onlookers notice Trump’s ‘board of peace’ logo resembles UN emblem
15 hours ago
by Anna Betts
Donald Trump, US news, Davos, United Nations, US politics, Americas, US foreign policyThe US president unveiled the board with a gold logo whose resemblance to the UN emblem sparked European criticism Donald Trump’s newly launched “board of peace” already has a logo – and perceptive eyes have noted its close resemblance to the United Nations emblem, except reworked in Trump fashion: all in gold, and focused squarely on the US. Launched this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the initiative was first endorsed back in November by the UN security council, on the understanding that it would focus on brokering a ceasefire in Gaza. Since then, however, Trump has positioned it as
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Toronto man posed as pilot to rack up hundreds of free flights, prosecutors say
16 hours ago
by Leyland Cecco in Toronto
Canada, Air transport, US news, World news, AmericasDallas Pokornik accused of using fake ID to fool airlines in case likened to Hollywood thriller Catch Me If You Can A Toronto man posed as a pilot for years in order to fool airlines into giving him hundreds of free flights, prosecutors have alleged, in a case that has prompted comparisons to the Hollywood thriller Catch Me If You Can. Authorities in Hawaii announced this week that Dallas Pokornik, 33, had been charged with wire fraud after he allegedly fooled three major US carriers into giving him free tickets over a span of four years. Continue reading...
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Indonesia takes action against mining firms after floods devastate population of world’s rarest ape
5 hours ago
by Gloria Dickie
Indonesia, Flooding, Environment, Endangered species, Animals, Wildlife, Mining, Conservation, Asia Pacific, World newsConservationists hail the ‘desperately needed’ measures and urge greater protection after up to 11% of endangered Tapanuli orangutans wiped out The floods and landslides that tore through Indonesia’s fragile Batang Toru ecosystem in November 2024 – killing up to 11% of the world’s Tapanuli orangutan population – prompted widespread scrutiny of the extractive companies operating in the area at the time of the ecological catastrophe. For weeks, investigators searched for evidence that the companies may have damaged the Batang Toru and Garoga watersheds before the disaster, which washed torrents of mud and logs into villages, claiming the lives of more than 1,100
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Two dead and six missing after landslides hit house and campground in New Zealand
8 hours ago
by Eva Corlett in Wellington, Josh Taylor and agencies
New Zealand, Asia PacificSearch-and-rescue teams worked through the night at the campground, but there had been no progress in finding missing people, officials say New Zealand is ‘full of grief”, the prime minister has said, after landslides tore through a house and busy campground, leaving two dead and at least six victims still missing. Police said emergency crews were still searching for at least six people, including two teenagers, believed missing beneath the debris of a landslide which struck a Mount Maunganui campsite on Thursday morning. Police were attempting to contact another three people. Families enjoying the summer school holiday were among the campers. Recreational
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Japan pauses restart of world’s largest nuclear power plant one day after it went online
10 hours ago
by AFP
Japan, Nuclear power, Fukushima, Asia PacificOperator says it does not know when the problem at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata province will be solved, after an alarm sounded during start-up The restart of the world’s largest nuclear power plant was suspended in Japan on Thursday just a day after it went online for the first time in about 14 years, with the operator saying it does not know when the problem will be solved. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata province had been closed since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, but operations to relaunch it began on Wednesday after it received the final green light from the nuclear regulator. Continue
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Filipino journalist Frenchie Cumpio found guilty of terror financing in verdict rights groups call ‘absurd’
a day ago
by Agence France-Presse
Philippines, Press freedom, Asia PacificReporters Without Borders said the ruling against the 26-year-old journalist showed a ‘blatant disregard for press freedom’ in the Southeast Asian nation A young Filipino journalist who spent nearly six years in a crowded provincial prison was found guilty of terror financing on Thursday, in a case rights groups and a UN rapporteur labelled a “travesty of justice”. Community journalist and radio broadcaster Frenchie Cumpio, 26, and former roommate Marielle Domequil broke down in tears and hugged each other as the guilty verdict was read and they were sentenced to 12-18 years in prison by judge Georgina Uy Perez of the Tacloban
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Hong Kong national security trial of three pro-democracy activists begins
a day ago
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent
Hong Kong, Asia Pacific, Protest, World news, China, Tiananmen Square protests 1989Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, who led Tiananmen Square vigils, are accused of inciting subversion The national security trial of three pro-democracy activists who organised an annual memorial in Hong Kong to mark the Tiananmen Square massacre opened on Thursday, in another landmark case brought under the Beijing-imposed law that has practically crushed protests in the semiautonomous Chinese city. Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho are charged with inciting subversion under Hong Kong’s national security law. Their trial is one of the most high-profile national security cases to be heard in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed the law in
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Andrew Hastie firms as Liberal leadership challenger amid push for Ley to step aside
3 hours ago
by Dan Jervis-Bardy, Tom McIlroy and Krishani Dhanji
Coalition, Liberal party, Sussan Ley, David Littleproud, Angus Taylor, Andrew Hastie, National party, Australian politics, Australia newsColleagues encourage former soldier to run as Sussan Ley declares she will remain opposition leader after Coalition split * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Andrew Hastie is emerging as a candidate to challenge Sussan Ley for the Liberal party’s leadership, as MPs privately push for the party’s first female leader to step aside. As a defiant Ley declared she would survive the fallout from the latest Coalition split, internal rivals were adamant she had lost the support of the party room. This is despite the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, being blamed for the break-up. Continue reading...
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Intense heat could smash temperature records in south-east Australia with catastrophic fire danger forecast
3 hours ago
by Petra Stock
Australia weather, Victoria bushfires 2026, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Australia newsHigh to extreme fire danger expected across several states as inland parts of SA, Victoria, NSW and Queensland may have more than five days above 40C * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast All-time temperature records could tumble in Victoria and New South Wales over coming days, as a dome of intense heat pushes into south-east Australia, bringing extreme to catastrophic fire conditions. Starting Saturday, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a prolonged period of intense heat across South Australia, Victoria, NSW and southern Queensland. Some inland
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SA and Victoria brace for weekend of dangerous fire conditions – as it happened
3 hours ago
by Cait Kelly and Nick Visser (earlier)
Australia news, Coalition, Labor party, Australian politics, Anthony Albanese, Bondi beach, Sussan Ley, Liberal party, National party, David Littleproud, Andrew Hastie, Angus Taylor, Australian foreign policyThis blog is now closed * Andrew Hastie firms as a candidate to challenge for Liberal leadership amid push for Ley to stand down * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Liberal senator says party still ‘believes’ in the Coalition Anne Ruston, a Liberal senator, said the party still believes in the Coalition and would like to see it continue, but said Sussan Ley was left with “no option but to accept” multiple resignations after members of the Nationals broke a “fundamental rule”. We believe in the coalition and we would like to see a coalition continue, but
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Peter Dutton alienated voters with ‘arrogant and aggressive’ approach, Labor election review finds
5 hours ago
by Tom McIlroy Political editor
Labor party, Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton, Coalition, Liberal party, Australian politics, Australia newsCoalition’s Tony Abbott-style political playbook, policy backflips and lack of message discipline helped Labor secure landslide election win * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Peter Dutton repelled voters with a Tony Abbott-style political playbook ahead of last year’s federal election, presenting poorly designed and badly explained policies, helping Labor secure a landslide win, a party review has found. Released on Friday, as the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, fought to hold off a leadership challenge, Labor’s election campaign review said Anthony Albanese’s positive message and policies designed
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NSW shootings suspect was on bail over DV charges at time he allegedly killed three people, police say
5 hours ago
by Caitlin Cassidy and Jordyn Beazley
New South Wales, Australia newsTwo women and a man die in shootings at Lake Cargelligo as police urge locals to stay inside as they hunt for ‘armed and dangerous’ Julian Ingram * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast * Warning: This article contains references to Indigenous Australians who have died A large-scale manhunt is continuing after three people were shot dead, including a pregnant woman, and a fourth was seriously injured in the New South Wales central west region. NSW police said the alleged perpetrator, Julian “Hoolio” Ingram, also known as
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Ukraine, Russia and US set for rare trilateral talks amid hopes for a breakthrough - Europe live
25 minutes ago
by Jakub Krupa
World news, Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, US newsWith talks of a confrontation over Greenland receding, attention turns back to ending the four-year war between Ukraine and Russia French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot will travel to Greenland in the coming weeks to show France’s support for the territory amid interest from Donald Trump. Speaking on BMF/RMC, he said the date is yet to be confirmed, but Le Figaro speculated the visit could coincide with the opening of the French consulate there on 6 February. Continue reading...
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Relations with US have taken ‘big blow’, says EU foreign policy chief
3 hours ago
by Jennifer Rankin in Brussels
European Union, Europe, US foreign policy, US news, Greenland, Donald Trump, World newsKaja Kallas’s comments came at emergency EU meeting called after weeks of escalating threats from Donald Trump over Greenland Transatlantic relations have “taken a big blow over the last week” the EU’s foreign policy chief said, as leaders from the bloc gathered for an emergency summit after weeks of escalating threats from Donald Trump over Greenland that were suddenly rescinded with a vague deal on Arctic security. Summing up the mood, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the EU was living through a lot of unpredictability: “One day, one way; the other day, again, everything could change.” Continue reading...
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‘Target mainland’: planned Troubles board game condemned in Northern Ireland
4 hours ago
by Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent
Northern Ireland, IRA, Ireland, Board games, Europe, UK news, US news, World newsBy turning conflict into entertainment US games company is ignoring its living legacy, says victims rights’ group It pits the IRA against the British army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary, it lets players plant bombs and make political deals and it promises to wrap up the conflict within six hours. Welcome to the Troubles – the provisional board game version. The brainchild of a US games company, The Troubles: Shadow War in Northern Ireland 1964-1998, is played with dice, tokens and a deck of 260 cards. Continue reading...
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US, Ukraine and Russia delegations head to Abu Dhabi for their first trilateral talks of the war
6 hours ago
by Jonathan Yerushalmy and agencies
Ukraine, Russia, Europe, US foreign policy, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, Trump administrationFriday’s meeting in Abu Dhabi comes after talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner Ukraine, Russia and the US are set to hold three-way talks in Abu Dhabi on Friday, marking the first time that the three countries have sat down together since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The meeting was confirmed in the early hours of Friday morning after talks at the Kremlin between the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, the US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Kremlin diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters those talks were “useful in every respect”, adding
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EU stands by Denmark and Greenland and wants ‘respectful’ relations with US, says European Council president – as it happened
10 hours ago
by Jakub Krupa
Europe, Greenland, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, World news, Russia, Vladimir PutinThis live blog is now closed. Zelenskyy’s speech looks to be slightly late, as Indonesia’s president Prabowo Subianto is still speaking. Don’t worry: I’m keeping an eye on this for you. “Hardly any details are known yet about the proposed Greenland deal. But we need them in order to decide how to proceed with the implementation of the EU-US trade deal. @EP_Trade will revisit the issue on Monday and discuss the way forward.” “However there is no room for false security. The next threat is sure to come. That’s why it is even more important that we set clear boundaries use all available legal
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Trump’s Gaza plan is a rebuff to Israeli extremists, but will soon be put to test
14 hours ago
by Julian Borger Senior international correspondent
Gaza, Palestine, Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, Israel, US foreign policy, Middle East and north Africa, World newsBlueprint presented by Jared Kushner shows unified Gaza run by Palestinians, with Rafah crossing to open next week Amid the hullabaloo and self-congratulation of Donald Trump’s “board of peace” launch in Davos, his administration laid out specific plans for the short- and long-term future of Gaza, aimed at a lasting peace. The blueprint set out on Thursday was extremely ambitious. It envisages a unified Palestinian-run Gaza, which represents a rebuff to the aims of Israeli extremists, including some in the governing coalition, who have sought the deportation of Gaza’s population and the building of Israeli settlements in its place. Continue reading...
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UK not ready to sign up to Donald Trump’s ‘board of peace’, says Yvette Cooper
16 hours ago
by Alexandra Topping Political correspondent
Foreign policy, Donald Trump, US foreign policy, Gaza, Israel-Gaza war, World news, US news, Palestine, Politics, UK news, Middle East and north AfricaForeign secretary says Britain supports president’s Gaza plan but there are concerns around involvement of Putin * UK politics live – latest updates * Davos live – latest updates Britain will not join Donald Trump’s “board of peace” on Thursday, Yvette Cooper has said, citing concerns about Russian involvement. The foreign secretary said the UK strongly supported the US president’s 20-point plan for Gaza, which he is seeking to draw attention to at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Continue reading...
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Trump claims world ‘richer, safer’ than year ago at launch of his ‘board of peace’
16 hours ago
by Heather Stewart in Davos and Julian Borger
Donald Trump, Gaza, US foreign policy, Israel, Davos 2026, Business, Palestine, Middle East and north Africa, US news, Trump administration, Davos, US politics, World news, Jared KushnerUS president holds signing ceremony at World Economic Forum amid concerns new body seeks to replace UN Donald Trump has claimed the world is “richer, safer and much more peaceful than it was just one year ago” as he hosted a launch event for his “board of peace” initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos. At a signing ceremony for the new organisation, the US president said it would be “one of the most consequential bodies ever created in the history of the world”. Continue reading...
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UAE ordered to pay £260,000 to trafficking victim exploited by diplomat in London
16 hours ago
by Diane Taylor
Human trafficking, United Arab Emirates, Middle East and north Africa, Law, UK newsHigh court ruling marks first time a foreign state has been held liable for domestic servitude by its envoy on UK soil The United Arab Emirates must pay more than £260,000 to a victim of human trafficking who was exploited by one of its diplomats in London, the high court has ruled. Lawyers representing the woman said it was unprecedented for a court to order a foreign state to pay for domestic servitude by a diplomat on UK soil. Continue reading...
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Jordan used Israeli firm’s phone-cracking tool to surveil pro-Gaza activists, report finds
21 hours ago
by Stephanie Kirchgaessner
Jordan, Israel, Gaza, Surveillance, Protest, Palestine, Technology, Middle East and north Africa, World newsResearchers find with high confidence that security officials used Cellebrite to extract data from activists’ phones Authorities in Jordan appear to be using an Israeli digital tool to extract information from the mobile phones of activists and protesters who have been critical of Israel and spoken out in support of Gaza, according to a new report by the Citizen Lab. A multiyear investigation found with high confidence that Jordanian security authorities have been using forensic extraction tools made by Cellebrite against members of civil society, including two political activists, a student organizer, and a human rights defender, the researchers said. Continue reading...
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Search for single-tusked elephant after 22 killed in India rampage
10 days ago
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi
India, South and central Asia, Wildlife, EnvironmentEastern region on high alert as authorities try to track animal tearing through villages in Jharkhand after apparently becoming separated from herd Forest officials in India are on the hunt for an elephant that has killed more than 20 people in a days-long rampage through the eastern state of Jharkhand. Since the beginning of January, 22 people have been killed by a single-tusked elephant that has been tearing through forests and villages in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. Continue reading...
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Russia working to circumvent sanctions to ensure India oil imports continue
10 days ago
by Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi
Russia, India, Ukraine, Oil and gas companies, Donald Trump, Narendra Modi, World news, Oil, Energy industry, Business, South and central AsiaDelhi is world’s second largest purchaser of Russian crude, which is now cheaper than oil from Middle East Russia is already working to circumvent the latest US sanctions to ensure India can continue to import high levels of cheap Russian crude oil, according to industry analysts. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, India has become the world’s second largest purchaser of Russian crude oil, which has been heavily discounted due to the impact of western sanctions. Continue reading...
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Sikh activist in UK told to increase security over Hindu nationalist threats
11 days ago
by Geneva Abdul
UK news, India, Sikhism, South and central Asia, World newsPolice ask Paramjeet Singh Pamma to install security cameras and reinforce door locks at his home Police have advised a high-profile Sikh activist in the UK to install security cameras at his home and reinforce door locks because of threats from Hindu nationalist elements. Paramjeet Singh Pamma, 52, said he had been visited by police and received verbal advice to increase his security due to intelligence suggesting threats to his safety. Continue reading...
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Myanmar junta holds second phase of election widely decried as a ‘sham exercise’
12 days ago
by Reuters
Myanmar, South and central AsiaUN and many western countries as well as human rights groups say that in the absence of a meaningful opposition the election is neither free, fair nor credible Voters in war-torn Myanmar queued up on Sunday to cast their ballots in the second stage of a military-run election, following low turnout in the initial round of polls that have been widely criticised as a tool to formalise junta rule. Myanmar has been ravaged by conflict since the military ousted a civilian government in a 2021 coup and detained its leader, Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a civil war
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Indian police raid home of environmental activists over anti-fossil fuel campaign
15 days ago
by Damien Gayle Environment correspondent
India, South and central Asia, World news, EnvironmentSatat Sampada founders Harjeet Singh and Jyoti Awasthi say allegations are ‘baseless, biased and misleading’ Police have raided the home of one of India’s leading environmental activists over claims his campaigning for a treaty to cut the use of fossil fuels was undermining the national interest. Investigators from India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) claim Harjeet Singh and his wife, Jyoti Awasthi, co-founders of Satat Sampada (Nature Forever), were paid almost £500,000 to advocate for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty (FFNPT). Continue reading...
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Trump’s claims about Nato in Afghanistan ‘disappointing and wrong’, minister says – UK politics live
28 minutes ago
by Andrew Sparrow
Politics, UK news, Labour, Conservatives, Nato, Donald Trump, Defence policy, Stephen Kinnock, AfghanistanCare minister Stephen Kinnock criticises US president over claim Nato troops stayed away from frontline in Afghanistan And here are two Conservative MPs on Donald Trump’s comments about the record of Nato allies in Afghanistan. From Simon Hoare, chair of the Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee Frankly Trump makes my flesh creep and my stomach turn. Where are his advisors? Where is his nurse? Where is his sense of shame? The US president has gone from insulting and threatening NATO allies to insulting and demeaning the brave men and women of our armed forces. 457 British service personnel died in Afghanistan, with UK
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British retail sales jump as online jewellery firms offer surprise Christmas sparkle
an hour ago
by Tom Knowles
Retail industry, Online shopping, Christmas, Consumer spending, Business, Economics, Money, Life and style, UK newsSales volume rise of 0.4% in December confounds forecasts as new survey shows sharp rebound in consumer confidence * Davos: Global economic outlook in focus, as gold approaches $5,000 – live updates UK retail sales were stronger than expected last month, as the nation’s shops received a surprise boost during the crucial Christmas trading period. Sales volumes across Great Britain rose by 0.4% in December, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), with internet sales doing particularly well, especially online jewellers. Continue reading...
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Trump prompts outrage with claim Nato troops avoided frontline in Afghanistan
2 hours ago
by Jamie Grierson and agency
Donald Trump, Nato, UK news, Military, Afghanistan, World news, US news, Foreign policy, PoliticsUK MPs and veterans condemn US president’s comments and highlight his avoidance of military service in Vietnam Donald Trump has provoked outrage among British MPs and veterans after claiming Nato troops stayed away from the frontline in Afghanistan. The US president made his comments in an interview with Fox News in which he reiterated his suggestion that Nato would not support the US if asked. Continue reading...
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Student loans: ‘My debt rose £20,000 to £77,000 even though I’m paying’
3 hours ago
by Rupert Jones
Student finance, Borrowing & debt, Students, Education, Higher education, Money, Universities, Tuition fees, Tax and spending, Graduate careers, Work & careers, Guardian Careers, Politics, NHS, Nursing, Society, UK news, Education policyMillions of graduates are trapped by ballooning debts, as their repayments are dwarfed by the interest added Helen Lambert borrowed £57,000 to go to university and began repaying her student loan in 2021 after starting work as an NHS nurse. Since then she has repaid more than £5,000, typically having about £145 a month taken from her pay packet. But everything she hands over is dwarfed by the £400-plus of interest that is added to her debt every month, thanks to rates that have been as high as 8%. Continue reading...
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‘Molly never got to hear it’: fury as denials finally end on Glasgow hospital infections
4 hours ago
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent
Glasgow, Scotland, Hospitals, NHS, Health, Cancer, UK news, SocietyFamilies accuse health board of ‘deceit and cowardice’ after years-long battle to prove contaminated water was linked All Molly Cuddihy wanted was recognition of what she had gone through. That was what she told the Scottish hospitals inquiry in 2021, where she described the “frightening” fits and rigors she had suffered after contracting a bacterial infection at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth university hospital while undergoing chemotherapy. “I was made sicker by the environment,” the 19-year-old said in her evidence. Molly had been 15 and revising for her National 5 exams when she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. She was treated at
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TikTok announces it has finalized deal to establish US entity, sidestepping ban
an hour ago
by Sam Levin and Mark Sweney
TikTok, US news, Oracle, Private equity, Technology, Software, World newsMajority US-owned venture includes Larry Ellison’s Oracle, private-equity group Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi’s MGX TikTok announced on Thursday it had closed a deal to establish a new US entity, allowing it to sidestep a ban and ending a long legal battle. The deal finalized by ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, sets up a majority American-owned venture, with investors including Larry Ellison’s Oracle, the private-equity group Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi’s MGX owning 80.1% of the new entity, while ByteDance will own 19.9%. Continue reading...
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Trump to Canada’s Mark Carney: you are uninvited to my ‘board of peace’ – as it happened
7 hours ago
by Robert Mackey, Shrai Popat, Lucy Campbell and Vivian Ho
Trump administration, US immigration, US news, World news, Greenland, Donald Trump, ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement), US politics, US Congress, MinneapolisThis live blog is now closed. * Trump news at a glance: president’s ‘board of peace’ takes shape The committee is taking a recess for members to vote on the House floor. A reminder that today we’re expecting a vote on Department of Homeland Security funding bill that dozens of Democrats have vowed to vote against. The top Democrat on the House judiciary committee, Jamie Raskin, praised Jack Smith’s handling of his investigations into the president. Raskin also noted the persistent denigration by Donald Trump as Smith conducted the probes. Continue reading...
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US health insurance executives testify before Congress about increasing costs of healthcare
8 hours ago
by Marina Dunbar
US healthcare, House of Representatives, Health insurance, US Congress, Health, US politics, US newsCEO of UnitedHealth Group said his company will return profits earned from Affordable Care Act plans to customers Executives from five of the country’s largest health insurance companies appeared before Congress on Thursday as lawmakers examined why healthcare has become increasingly harder for Americans to afford. In one effort to address the affordability crisis, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, Stephen Hemsley, announced that the nation’s largest insurance company will rebate profits made this year from its Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans to customers, while adding it was a relatively small participant in the ACA individual market. Continue reading...
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Man accused of plot to murder US border patrol’s Bovino found not guilty
8 hours ago
by Sam Levin and agencies
Trump administration, US immigration, US justice system, US news, US politicsAcquittal of Juan Espinoza Martinez in Chicago marks latest major federal prosecution to fall apart in court A man accused of a murder-for-hire plot targeting a top US border patrol leader was found not guilty on Thursday in Chicago, the latest high-profile prosecution by the Department of Justice to fall apart in court. The government alleged that Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, had offered a $10,000 bounty over Snapchat in October for the killing of Gregory Bovino, the border patrol official who has spearheaded aggressive immigration operations in cities across the country. Defense lawyers argued Espinoza Martinez was sharing an innocuous social media
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House approves homeland security bill despite Democrats’ opposition over ICE
11 hours ago
by Robert Tait in Washington
Democrats, US news, World news, ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement), US immigration, Trump administration, US politics, House of Representatives, US CongressOutrage mounts over ICE violence but seven Democrats vote with Republicans as funding bill passes 220-207 House Republicans overcame widespread Democratic opposition on Thursday to approve a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency spearheading Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The 220-207 vote, with seven Democrats joining nearly all Republicans, came amid mounting outrage over its heavy-handed and violent tactics in Minnesota and elsewhere. Continue reading...
South China Morning Post
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ICE detains 5-year-old in Minneapolis as school officials claim child was used as ‘bait’
an hour ago
by Associated Press
A 5-year-old boy arriving home from preschool in Minnesota was taken by federal agents along with his father to a detention facility in Texas, school officials and the family’s lawyer said, making him the fourth student from his Minneapolis suburb to be detained by immigration officers in recent weeks. Federal agents took Liam Conejo Ramos from a running car in the family’s driveway Tuesday afternoon, Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik told reporters on Wednesday. The...
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Why Trump’s Davos farce may come to be seen as a watershed
2 hours ago
by David Dodwell
In a week marked by the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s second inauguration as US president and a Davos-based melodrama over his ambitions to own Greenland, it is perhaps timely to review this first year of Trump 2.0 and look into the second. First, one has to be in awe of the frenetic energy of Trump, who celebrates his 80th birthday in June. Whatever one makes of his meandering, insulting, overbearing and frequently inaccurate address in Davos, made right off his flights from Washington,...
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In Davos debut, Musk highlights key China advantage in AI race
3 hours ago
by Xiaofei Xu
The economic benefits of China’s abundant and cheap supply of electricity were recognised by US tech billionaire Elon Musk and other speakers at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. As the United States and the European Union contemplate how to catch up, Tesla CEO Musk said the artificial intelligence (AI) industry was facing an energy bottleneck around the globe – with AI chips being produced rapidly and electricity output struggling to keep up – apart from the notable...
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Trump withdraws invitation to Canada’s Carney to join his Board of Peace
5 hours ago
by Reuters
US President Donald Trump withdrew on Thursday an invitation for Canada to join his Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. Trump’s about-face follows Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he openly decried powerful nations using economic integration as weapons and tariffs as leverage. “Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what...
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Putin meets US envoys for midnight talks as Ukraine settlement hinges on key issue
5 hours ago
by Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine with US President Donald Trump’s envoys during marathon overnight talks, and the Kremlin insisted that the territorial issue needs to be resolved to reach a peace deal. The Kremlin meeting, which lasted past 3am on Friday, came hours after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticised his European allies Thursday for what he cast as their slow and fragmented response to Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion...
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China’s births plunge, Trump’s Greenland pledge in Davos: SCMP’s 7 highlights
6 hours ago
by SCMP
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Baby bust: China births plunge 17% in 2025 to historic low as population shrinks China’s birth count plummeted to a record low last year, falling by about 10 million from its 2016 peak and slashing the total by more than half in less...
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Newsom, on world stage in Davos, accuses Trump of trying to suppress dissent
7 hours ago
by Tribune News Service
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday said he was not surprised the Trump administration blocked his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland the day before, saying it was another example of the US president trying to stifle dissent. “Is it surprising the Trump administration didn’t like my commentary and wanted to make sure that I was not allowed to speak? No,” said Newsom, who is weighing a 2028 presidential run. “It’s consistent with this administration and their...
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US ‘armada’ heading towards Iran as tensions remain high
8 hours ago
by Reuters
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States has an “armada” heading towards Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers would arrive in the Middle East in the coming days. One official said additional air-defence systems were also being eyed for...
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From Venezuela to Greenland, Trump is using US power to rewrite the rules
9 hours ago
by Bernard Chan
The recent drama surrounding US action in Venezuela, its renewed interest in Greenland and tariff threats on governments that object, along with comments on Cuba, Colombia and Mexico, appear disjointed – part diplomacy, part law enforcement, part political theatre. Like many observers, I rely on the news to try to make sense of the policy logic and what it may mean for those who have to live with its consequences. Washington’s rationale for its actions in Venezuela was initially framed as law...
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Trump blames table and aspirin after new bruise appears on his hand in Davos
9 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
Photographs of fresh bruising on Donald Trump’s hand raised eyebrows on Thursday, but the 79-year-old US president dismissed renewed speculation over his health, saying he had simply hit a table. Trump has been seen with frequent bruising on his right hand since returning to the White House last year, often concealing it with bandages and make-up. The White House has said it is due to a combination of frequent handshaking and the aspirin he takes for his cardiovascular health, which can lead to...
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China to ‘quietly track’ Greenland developments amid Arctic ambitions for now: analysts
10 hours ago
by Xinmei Shen
China will closely monitor developments in Greenland as it seeks to become an important player in Arctic affairs. Still, Beijing is unlikely to respond with any major action in the near future to counter US President Donald Trump’s bid to annex the island, analysts said. “The Arctic is certainly a central matter for policy for China, and they know it’s going to be important in the future, especially with climate change,” said Eurasia Group’s China practice head, David Meale. In his escalated...
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US walks away from WHO, leaving unpaid tab of US$260 million
11 hours ago
by Bloomberg
One year after President Donald Trump ordered the US to withdraw from the World Health Organization, the process was formally completed on Thursday, though the nation is leaving behind unpaid debt of roughly US$260 million. All funding to the health agency has been terminated and people working with the WHO have been recalled from all offices and its headquarters, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Thursday. The US has also ended all participation in WHO-sponsored leadership...
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US letting China buy Venezuela oil but not at ‘unfair’ Maduro prices, official says
11 hours ago
by Reuters
The Trump administration is allowing China to purchase Venezuelan oil but not at “unfair, undercut” prices at which Caracas sold the crude before the US removed President Nicolas Maduro, a US official said on Thursday. While the oil will be sold in the global marketplace, the administration has required that the majority be sold to the United States, the administration official said on condition of anonymity. The US says it will control Venezuela’s oil sales indefinitely after seizing Maduro...
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How China can strengthen High Seas Treaty governance
13 hours ago
by Zhihua Zheng
The United States’ abrupt withdrawal earlier this month from dozens of international institutions, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, was more than another episode of diplomatic retrenchment. It was a reminder that the post-war architecture of global governance, particularly in environmental affairs, is under strain. Against this backdrop, China’s decision to nominate Xiamen as the host city for the secretariat of the new High Seas Treaty should not be read as a quest for...
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US and Canada drift apart on China as Ottawa rethinks Beijing ties
14 hours ago
by Bochen Han
Look for the US and Canada to move farther apart on China policy, even in areas where they were previously aligned, analysts say, days after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a multifaceted deal with Beijing. In recent years, Washington and Ottawa had drawn closer together when it came to dealing with Beijing, from electric vehicle tariffs and research security to investment screening. But that convergence is now fraying, analysts say, as Canada signals a greater willingness to...
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Peru’s president refuses to step down as secret China meetings fuel ‘Chifagate’ scandal
14 hours ago
by Igor Patrick
President Jose Jeri of Peru has vowed not to resign despite rising pressure over a widening scandal involving undisclosed meetings with Chinese businessmen, as opposition lawmakers say the affair has damaged public trust and senior officials insist no illegal acts took place. The controversy, known in Peruvian media as “Chifagate”, a reference to Chinese-Peruvian cuisine, centres on late-night encounters at a Chinese restaurant and a wholesale shop in Lima. The meetings were not recorded on the...
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Trump sues JPMorgan, accusing bank of closing his accounts for political reasons
15 hours ago
by Reuters
US President Donald Trump has filed a US$5 billion lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase on accusations of debanking, according to a complaint posted on the CNBC website. Trump said JPMorgan violated its own policies by singling him out, in a bid to ride the “political tide”, and terminating several of his accounts. He said the bank “unabashedly” boasted for 225 years it served customers with respect, and worked diligently to uphold its core values. “Despite claiming to hold these principles dear,...
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Greenland PM says he doesn’t know what’s in deal reached with Trump
15 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
Greenland’s prime minister said on Thursday that he was not aware of the contents of a framework agreement about the Danish autonomous territory that US President Donald Trump announced after a meeting with Nato’s chief, but stressed no deal could be made without involving the island. “Nobody else than Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark have the mandate to make deals or agreements about Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark without us,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen told a press conference. “We have...
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After fatal rail accident, missing dog Boro that captivated Spain is found
16 hours ago
by Associated Press
After back-to-back fatal train crashes sent shock waves through Spain, some good news arrived on Thursday: Boro, the missing dog, was found. Days earlier, Boro’s owner Ana Garcia issued a desperate plea to help find him after the dog bolted on Sunday in the aftermath of the high-speed train crash in southern Spain that killed at least 43 people. Garcia, 26, and her pregnant sister were travelling with Boro on the train that derailed. On Thursday, forest firefighters in southern Spain found the...
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Ukraine’s Zelensky slams ‘fragmented’ Europe, says it looks lost facing Trump
17 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday blasted the EU’s lack of “political will” in countering Russian leader Vladimir Putin, during a fiery address criticising some of Kyiv’s top allies at the World Economic Forum. The speech to the Davos elite came minutes after Zelensky had met with US President Donald Trump, a conversation which he said brought agreement about what post-war US security guarantees for Ukraine would look like. Zelensky did not say what the security guarantees...
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Former US special counsel testifies to Trump’s ‘criminal’ election plot
18 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
Former special counsel Jack Smith defended his prosecution of Donald Trump on Thursday with Republican critics in the US Congress, citing overwhelming evidence that he led a “criminal scheme” to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Although Smith, who led two failed prosecutions against Trump, never got his day in court, the televised hearing before the House Judiciary Committee provided the opportunity he has long sought to make his case to the American public. A veteran federal...
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Trump sends message to Putin ‘war has to end’ after ‘good’ meeting with Zelensky
19 hours ago
by Reuters
US President Donald Trump said his message to Russian leader Vladimir Putin was that the war in Ukraine has to end, after what he said were “good” talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos on Thursday. US and Ukrainian officials have spent weeks in frenetic shuttle diplomacy as Kyiv faces pressure from Trump to secure peace in the nearly four-year-old war, despite few signs Moscow wants to stop fighting. After a meeting with the Ukrainian leader that lasted around an hour,...
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The Chinese satellites SpaceX says were on collision course with Starlink
19 hours ago
by Victoria Bela
A small number of Chinese satellites and space debris forced SpaceX’s Starlink fleet to execute a large number of collision avoidance manoeuvres last year, as both sides complained of safety challenges from rival internet megaconstellations. The largest culprit was Hongqing Technology’s Honghu-2 satellite, which accounted for 1,143 such manoeuvres. The experimental satellite was launched aboard LandSpace’s Zhuque 2 Y-3 rocket in December 2023. Such manoeuvres consume fuel and shorten a...
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Sinners breaks Oscars record with 16 nominations, F1, Hamnet, One Battle also place
19 hours ago
by Associated Press
Ryan Coogler’s blues-steeped vampire epic Sinners led all films with 16 nominations to the 98th Academy Awards on Thursday, setting a record for the most in Oscar history. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters showered Sinners with more nominations than they had ever bestowed before, breaking the 14-nomination mark set by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land. Along with best picture, Coogler was nominated for best director and best screnplay, and double-duty star Michael B. Jordan...
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Train collides with crane arm in Spain’s fourth rail accident in a week
20 hours ago
by Reuters
A commuter train collided with a crane arm that swung into its path in southeastern Spain on Thursday, the transport minister said, in the country’s fourth rail accident in less than a week. Six people suffered minor injuries after the arm hit the passing train’s windows, close to the port city of Cartagena in Murcia region, authorities added. The incident - which did not derail the train but briefly disrupted traffic on the line - came four days after a high-speed train collision in the...
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Deadly storm in Athens dumps six months of rain in a single day
20 hours ago
by Agence France-Presse
A deadly storm this week dumped nearly six months of rain on the Greek capital, Athens, in less than a day, one of the country’s top weather experts said on Thursday. Wednesday’s storm lashed the country and left two dead, with disaster crews spending Thursday cleaning up debris. Kostas Lagouvardos, research director at the National Observatory in Athens, said the “extreme” weather phenomenon had dumped up to 170 mm (6.7 inches) of rain on the capital. That amounted to “about 40 per cent of the...
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How Trump 2.0 accelerated China’s push for tech and trade resilience
a day ago
by Wang Wen
After a year of Trump 2.0, China has much to be thankful for. This is not an endorsement of US hegemony but an expression of confidence in China’s increased resilience – and an acknowledgement of the US policies that pushed China there. The Chinese government’s stance towards Trump 2.0 remains the same: to adhere to its own principles, respond rationally and look to turn any crisis into an opportunity. For a start, Trump 2.0’s tariff war on China has backfired. All it did was force China to...
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‘For the world’: Trump launches his Board of Peace that some see rivalling UN
a day ago
by Associated Press
US President Donald Trump on Thursday inaugurated his “Board of Peace” to lead efforts at maintaining a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas, insisting that “everyone wants to be a part” of the body that could eventually rival the United Nations – despite many US allies opting not to participate. In a speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump sought to create momentum for a project to map out a future for the war-torn Gaza Strip that has been overshadowed this week, first by his threats to seize...
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Israeli forces kill Palestinian children and journalists in Gaza despite ceasefire
a day ago
by Associated Press
Israeli forces on Wednesday killed at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza, including two 13-year-old boys, three journalists and a woman, hospitals said, on one of the war-battered enclave’s deadliest days since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in October. The United States is trying to push the deal forward and implement its challenging second phase. Among the dead were three Palestinian journalists who were killed while filming near a displacement camp in central Gaza, a camp...
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Watch Trump showcase his ‘Board of Peace’ in Davos after Greenland climbdown
a day ago
by Agencies
US President Donald Trump showcased his new “Board of Peace” on Thursday, a day after backing off his own threats against Greenland. Trump abruptly announced on Wednesday that he was scrapping tariffs against Europe and ruling out military action to take Greenland from Denmark, partially defusing a crisis which has shaken the meeting of global elites. On his second day at the Swiss ski resort, Trump sought to promote the “Board of Peace”, his controversial body for resolving international...
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Malaysia’s Michelle Yeoh up for ‘worst actress’ Razzie for Star Trek role
a day ago
by Tribune News Service
The Golden Raspberry Awards on Wednesday released the nominees for the 2026 Razzies, “honouring” last year’s most dubious achievements in film. Among the biggest losers was Disney’s Snow White, which was nominated for worst picture and worst remake. The 2025 adaptation of the Disney classic also netted a worst director nomination for Mark Webb and a worst supporting actor nod for “All Seven Artificial Dwarfs”, who also got a nod for worst screen combo. The 46th Golden Raspberry Awards will crown...
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Trump agrees Greenland framework after Nato blow-up
a day ago
by Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma
US President Donald Trump announced a framework for a Greenland agreement and ditched threats to invade the Arctic island after a row with Nato allies partly over how to respond to growing Chinese and Russian activity in the region. “This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations,” Trump posted on social media on Wednesday. He also said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he was dropping plans to hit eight European...
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Why Europe struggles to stand up to Trump
a day ago
by Nicholas Spiro
It’s been one year since US President Donald Trump began his second term. Few analysts and investors doubted Trump 2.0 would be more confrontational and disruptive. Still, the ferocity of Trump’s attacks on the rule of law, institutions and US allies have far exceeded the worst fears of his sternest critics. That a supposed ally is using economic coercion to seize the sovereign territory of a fellow member of Nato shows how fast the unthinkable has become real. At the World Economic Forum in...
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Artificial intelligence’s practical use, not race to AGI, is what counts, Jeffrey Ding says
a day ago
by Vincent Chow
Jeffrey Ding is an assistant professor of political science at George Washington University. He is the author of Technology and the Rise of Great Powers, an award-winning book exploring the impact of technology on geopolitical competition, as well as the founder of the ChinAI newsletter, which tracks developments in China’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry. In this interview, Ding explains why “diffusion”, not innovation, will determine whether China or the US will prevail in the AI race,...
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US says Venezuela’s interim president to visit as relations shift post-Maduro
a day ago
by Agence France-Presse
Venezuela’s interim president will soon visit the United States, a senior US official said Wednesday, further signalling US President Donald Trump’s willingness to embrace the oil-rich country’s new leader. Delcy Rodriguez would be the first sitting Venezuelan president to visit the United States in more than a quarter of a century – aside from presidents attending United Nations meetings in New York. She said on Wednesday that she approached any dialogue with the United States “without...
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Past nuclear weapon tests linked to 4 million premature deaths globally, report says
a day ago
by Agence France-Presse
Nuclear weapons testing has affected every single human on the planet, causing at least 4 million premature deaths from cancer and other diseases over time, according to a new report delving into the deadly legacy. More than 2,400 nuclear devices were detonated in tests conducted worldwide between 1945 and 2017. Of the nine countries known to possess nuclear weapons - Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea - only Pyongyang has...
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Iran says 3,117 died in protests in first official toll. Activists fear it’s much higher
a day ago
by Associated Press
Iran offered its first government-issued death toll on Wednesday following a crackdown on nationwide protests, giving a far lower figure than activists abroad as the country’s theocracy tries to reassert control after unrest recalling the chaos surrounding its 1979 Islamic Revolution. State television carried statements by the Interior Ministry and the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, an official body providing services to families of those killed in wars, saying 3,117 people were...
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White House responds after Trump repeatedly refers to Greenland as ‘Iceland’ in Davos
a day ago
by Agence France-Presse
US President Donald Trump repeatedly made an apparent gaffe in a speech on Wednesday to world leaders assembled in Switzerland by referring to “Iceland” several times instead of his much coveted “Greenland”, with the White House furiously denying any confusion on his part. The 79-year-old Republican has been clamouring for the United States to acquire Greenland, a large island territory of Denmark, citing what he called security threats from Russia and China in the Arctic Circle. On Wednesday,...
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Greenland row shows why foreign policy must not be turned into moral theatre
2 days ago
by Jinghan (Michael) Zeng
The renewed debate over Greenland has placed Denmark in an awkward strategic position. When a close ally openly flirts with the idea of territorial acquisition – however unrealistic or rhetorical – it exposes an uncomfortable truth for many middle and small powers: alignment does not guarantee protection and loyalty does not always translate into leverage. In an age defined by intensifying competition between the United States and China, governments increasingly feel inclined to show where they...
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Bezos’ Blue Origin to deploy thousands of satellites to rival Musk’s Starlink
2 days ago
by Reuters
Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin on Wednesday announced a plan to deploy 5,408 satellites in space for a communications network that will serve data centres, governments and businesses, jumping into a satellite constellation market dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Deployment of satellites was planned to begin in the last quarter of 2027, Blue Origin said, adding the network was designed to have “data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth”. That speed, possible with the satellites’...
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Canada court overturns government order to shut down TikTok’s operations
2 days ago
by Reuters
Canada’s federal court on Wednesday overturned a government order to close TikTok’s Canadian operations, allowing the short-video app to keep operating for now, and told Ottawa to review the case. In November 2024, Canada’s industry ministry ordered TikTok’s business to be dissolved, citing national security risks, but added the government was not blocking access or users’ ability to create content. TikTok, which says it has more than 14 million monthly users in Canada, appealed against the...
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Spain’s train drivers call 3-day strike after deadly accidents
2 days ago
by Agence France-Presse
Spanish train drivers on Wednesday called a three-day strike for February, plunging the country’s under-scrutiny railways into further turmoil, after two accidents just days apart killed 44 people. A train driver died and 37 people were injured – several seriously – in the latest incident on Tuesday, when a commuter service hit a retaining wall that fell onto the tracks in Gelida near Barcelona. Spain was already observing three days of national mourning from Sunday’s collision involving two...
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Beijing-Ottawa deal reinforces China’s dominance in EV industry at expense of US: analysts
2 days ago
by Lucy Quaggin
Beijing and Ottawa reached a “landmark” trade agreement last week, slashing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, in a move analysts said further cements China’s dominance and suggests the US decline in the global EV market. The deal will open Canada up to Chinese EVs, signalling a thaw in diplomatic relations and a major break from the US. The bilateral partnership marks a shift in direction for Canada’s automotive industry, coming during a month that saw China’s BYD topple Tesla as the world’s...
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What is the ‘trade bazooka’ the EU may use against Trump’s Greenland threats?
2 days ago
by Associated Press
Rattled by US President Donald Trump’s threats over Greenland, the European Union is readying countermeasures against the United States. As primarily a trading bloc, the EU’s toolkit is mostly financial instruments, from steep tariffs on US goods to the so-called trade bazooka touted by French President Emmanuel Macron. So far, most of the 27 EU nations remain sceptical about using it. What is the ‘trade bazooka’? The term is shorthand for the bloc’s Anti-Coercion Instrument, which includes a...
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Archegos’ Bill Hwang seeks Trump pardon for fraud that cost banks US$10 billion
2 days ago
by Bloomberg
Archegos Capital Management founder Bill Hwang is seeking a presidential pardon for his conviction in a high-profile Wall Street fraud case over the collapse of his US$36 billion family office, which scorched banks and helped topple Credit Suisse Group AG. Hwang, who is free on bail while appealing against the verdict behind his 18-year sentence, submitted a pardon application to the US Justice Department last year, according to a notice on the DOJ’s website. In 2024, a jury found him guilty of...
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Trump lays out Greenland-Arctic deal framework, pauses February tariffs after Davos speech
2 days ago
by Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan,Holly Chik
Following what he called a “very productive” meeting with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States has established the framework for a future agreement concerning Greenland and the broader Arctic region. “This solution, if finalised, will be a great one for the United States of America and all Nato nations,” Trump said on Wednesday, adding that, based on this understanding, he will not impose the tariffs originally scheduled for February...
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Macron’s ‘Top Gun’ shades charm internet, get mocked by Trump at Davos
2 days ago
by Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron’s aviator sunglasses have caught the eye, with social media users debating his choice of a Top Gun look as he criticised US President Donald Trump over Greenland during his speech in Davos. As he spoke at the annual World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos on Tuesday, the French president wore dark, reflective sunglasses. Memes, comments and speculation over his appearance surged on social media, with some supporters praising him for his Top...
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Huge lines, laughs and gasps as Trump addresses Davos
2 days ago
by Agence France-Presse
It looked like a rock concert: hundreds of the world’s rich and powerful stood in a massive line for a precious seat to hear US President Donald Trump deliver his speech in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. After a two-hour wait, the doors to the World Economic Forum’s congress hall closed to the disappointment of many who had to scramble for spots in four overflow rooms to watch him on television screens. The exclusive crowd included executives of top companies, academics and politicians – even...
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Probe into Spain train crash turns to missing ‘bogie’ found in stream
2 days ago
by Reuters
A large piece of metal found near the site of a high-speed train crash in Spain may be the missing chunk of undercarriage that investigators have been searching for to find the cause of the accident, a source and experts said on Wednesday. The crash, one of Europe’s biggest, happened on Sunday night near the southern town of Adamuz in a remote hilly area, killing at least 42 people. Inaki Barron, the head of Spain’s railway accident investigating body CIAF, said on Monday that the...
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US envoy Witkoff to meet Putin in Moscow for pivotal peace talks Thursday
2 days ago
by Bloomberg
US envoy Steve Witkoff said he and Jared Kushner will travel to Russia on Thursday for talks with President Vladimir Putin on the latest proposals for a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. “The Russians have invited us to come and that’s a significant statement from them,” Witkoff said in an interview with Bloomberg Television at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. “Jared and I will leave Thursday night and arrive in Moscow late at night.” US President Donald Trump remains “focused...
New York Times
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TikTok Strikes Deal to Create New U.S. Entity and Loosen App’s Ties to China
7 hours ago
by David McCabe and Emmett Lindner
Mobile Applications, Computers and the Internet, Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures, Social Media, Law and Legislation, Beijing Bytedance Technology Co Ltd, Oracle Corporation, TikTok (ByteDance), China, MGX Fund Management Ltd, Silver Lake PartnersThe Chinese parent company of the popular video app said a group of non-Chinese investors would create an American TikTok to avoid a federal ban.
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After TikTok Deal, Chinese Firms Search for a New Global Path
an hour ago
by Meaghan Tobin
Beijing Bytedance Technology Co Ltd, TikTok (ByteDance), Computers and the Internet, Social Media, China, United States, E-CommerceChinese firms must contend with geopolitical tensions and mistrust to do business in the United States. Some are choosing to avoid the U.S. altogether.
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Here’s Who Just Bought TikTok
7 hours ago
by Emmett Lindner
Computers and the Internet, United States Politics and Government, Social Media, Artificial Intelligence, Mobile Applications, Boards of Directors, E-Commerce, Beijing Bytedance Technology Co Ltd, Dell Inc, Group 42 (G42), MGX Fund Management Ltd, Oracle Corporation, TikTok (ByteDance)Several big companies and investment firms are part of the new American TikTok. Many have ties to one another and President Trump.
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Will I Have to Download a New TikTok App? And Other Big Questions About The Deal.
7 hours ago
by Emmett Lindner
Social Media, Computers and the Internet, Video Recordings, Downloads and Streaming, Regulation and Deregulation of Industry, Rumors and Misinformation, Beijing Bytedance Technology Co Ltd, TikTok (ByteDance)The popular short form video app has a new corporate structure in the United States, which could result in some changes for the 200 million Americans who use TikTok.
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Jack Smith Testifies in House Hearing About Trump Investigations
9 hours ago
by Glenn Thrush and Alan Feuer
United States Politics and Government, Federal Criminal Case Against Trump (Documents Case), Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jordan, Jim (1964- ), Grassley, Charles E, Cannon, Aileen M, Biden, Joseph R Jr, Justice Department, Storming of the US Capitol (Jan, 2021), House Committee on the Judiciary, Patel, Kashyap, Trump, Donald JThe former special prosecutor argued a case he was never allowed to in court: that President Trump “engaged in criminal activity” that undermined democracy.
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Takeaways From Jack Smith’s Testimony on Trump Investigations
12 hours ago
by Alan Feuer and Glenn Thrush
United States Politics and Government, Special Prosecutors (Independent Counsel), Classified Information and State Secrets, Criminal Justice, Presidential Election of 2020, Courts and the Judiciary, Federal Criminal Case Against Trump (Documents Case), House Committee on the Judiciary, Republican Party, Justice Department, Trump, Donald J, Smith, Jack (Attorney), Garland, Merrick BIn his remarks, the former special counsel repeatedly denied that he had acted out of partisan animus and bemoaned the Trump administration’s efforts to go after the president’s perceived enemies.
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D.H.S. Cited Foreign Students’ Writings and Protests Before Their Arrests
5 hours ago
by Zach Montague
Illegal Immigration, Israel-Gaza War (2023- ), Pro-Palestinian Campus Protests (2023- ), Deportation, Freedom of Speech and Expression, Demonstrations, Protests and Riots, Foreign Students (in US), United States Politics and Government, Executive Orders and Memorandums, Colleges and Universities, Academic Freedom, Suits and Litigation (Civil), Immigration and Emigration, Canary Mission (Web Site), Hamas, Homeland Security Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (US), State Department, Chung, Yunseo, Mahdawi, Mohsen, Rubio, Marco, Suri, Badar Khan, Trump, Donald J, Young, William G, MassachusettsDocuments unsealed by a federal judge on Thursday include dossiers that investigators prepared on pro-Palestinian student activists before they were targeted for deportation.
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Immigration Agents Detain 5-Year-Old Boy in Minnesota, Prompting Outrage
7 hours ago
by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Sonia A. Rao
Illegal Immigration, Immigration Detention, Asylum, Right of, Children and Childhood, Homeland Security Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (US), Minneapolis (Minn), Conejo Ramos, Liam, Conejo Arias, Adrian Alexander, Columbia Heights, Minn., internal-open-access-from-nlA photo showed a boy with an oversized hat and Spider-Man backpack being held next to a vehicle as his father was detained. A Homeland Security spokeswoman said the man had fled and left the child.
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Chicago Jury Acquits Immigrant Accused in Bovino Murder-for-Hire Trial
11 hours ago
by Danny Hakim
Threats and Threatening Messages, Bovino, Gregory, Border Patrol (US), Chicago (Ill), Espinoza Martinez, Juan, Federal Actions in US Cities, Immigration and Emigration, Justice DepartmentProsecutors said a Chicago carpenter had offered a bounty for killing Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official. Defense lawyers said he was just sharing a social media post.
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White House Posts Altered Photo Showing Arrested Minnesota Protester Crying
6 hours ago
by Tiffany Hsu, Alan Feuer and Stuart A. Thompson
Minnesota, Trump, Donald J, Noem, Kristi, Bondi, Pamela J, Justice Department, United States Politics and Government, Demonstrations, Protests and RiotsThe New York Times ran the image posted by Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, as well as the one posted by the White House through an A.I. detection system. It concluded that the White House’s version showed signs of manipulation.
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Trump Rescinds Canada’s Invitation to Join His ‘Board of Peace’
5 hours ago
by Chris Cameron and Matina Stevis-Gridneff
United States International Relations, International Relations, United States Politics and Government, International Trade and World Market, Canada, United States, Carney, Mark J, Trump, Donald J, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, World Economic ForumThe president appeared to be lashing out in response to stark, high-profile remarks by Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada that rejected Mr. Trump’s efforts to dismantle the international order.
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Europe’s Leaders Scramble to Find a Path Forward With Trump
4 hours ago
by Jeanna Smialek
European Union, Trump, Donald J, Greenland, Denmark, Brussels (Belgium), European CommissionLeaders from across the European Union held an emergency summit in Brussels to discuss Greenland and, more broadly, their fragile relationship with America.
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Why Trump’s Reversal on Greenland Still Leaves Europe on Edge
14 hours ago
by Andrew Ross Sorkin, Rebecca Suner, Coleman Lowndes and Laura Salaberry
International Trade and World Market, United States Politics and Government, internal-open-access-from-nlAndrew Ross Sorkin, editor at large of DealBook, describes how leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos remain on edge after President Trump, for now, backed down from threats of using tariffs or military force to gain Greenland.
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Zelensky Laces Into Europe, Saying It Must Step Up or Be Left Behind
13 hours ago
by Constant Méheut
United States Politics and Government, International Relations, Russian Invasion of Ukraine (2022), Speeches and Statements, European Union, Trump, Donald J, Zelensky, Volodymyr, Davos (Switzerland)The Ukrainian leader’s speech in Davos, Switzerland, was one of his most scathing critiques of his closest allies.
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Mark Carney Says Firmly That ‘Canada Doesn’t Live Because of the United States’
8 hours ago
by Ian Austen
Carney, Mark J, Trump, Donald J, United States International Relations, Canada, Territorial DisputesThe Canadian prime minister spoke after returning from the World Economic Forum where he urged middle powers to team up in resisting President Trump.
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Are You Aging Well? 4 Simple Tests to Find Out.
a day ago
by Dana G. Smith
Longevity, Content Type: Service, Age, Chronological, Elderly, FallsThey can’t guarantee future health, but they can tell you the trajectory you’re on.
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House Passes Spending Package Over Democratic Revolt on ICE
11 hours ago
by Catie Edmondson
United States Politics and Government, Federal Budget (US), Democratic Party, Homeland Security Department, House of Representatives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (US), Republican Party, Jeffries, Hakeem, Noem, Kristi, DeLauro, Rosa L, Cole, Tom (1949- ), House Committee on AppropriationsApproval of the package, which would fund a wide swath of government agencies, brings Congress closer to meeting a Jan. 30 funding deadline.
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National Park Service Dismantles Slavery Exhibit in Philadelphia
6 hours ago
by Ashley Ahn
Slavery (Historical), Historic Buildings and Sites, National Parks, Monuments and Seashores, Interior Department, National Park Service, Washington, George (1732-99), Philadelphia (Pa), United States Politics and Government, Parks and Other Recreation Areas, Executive Orders and Memorandums, Black People, Race and Ethnicity, Trump, Donald J, United StatesThe exhibit memorialized nine people enslaved by George Washington. The Park Service said it was being removed in accordance with a directive from President Trump.
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Trump to Expand ‘Mexico City’ Abortion Rule to Include D.E.I. and Gender
11 hours ago
by Sheryl Gay Stolberg
United States Politics and Government, Foreign Aid, Federal Aid (US), Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, March for Life, Vance, J D, Trump, Donald JThe policy has traditionally been aimed at keeping organizations that receive U.S. tax dollars from performing or promoting abortion as a method of family planning.
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E.P.A. Revives Plan to End Testing on Animals by 2035
11 hours ago
by Lisa Friedman
Environmental Protection Agency, Animal Abuse, Rights and Welfare, Chemicals, Research, United States Politics and GovernmentLee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, revived a plan created during the first Trump administration to end the testing of chemicals on mammals.
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U.S. Winter Storm Forecast to Bring Menacing Mix of Snow, Ice and Cold
10 hours ago
by Judson Jones
Weather, Cold and Cold Spells, Snow and Snowstorms, Ice, Appalachian Region, Arctic Regions, Atlanta (Ga), Southwestern States (US), New England States (US), New York CityHalf the U.S. population will likely see some effect from the sprawling storm that will move across the country this weekend, meteorologists said.
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New York Could See Its Biggest Snowfall in Years
7 hours ago
by Amy Graff
Snow and Snowstorms, Weather, Cold and Cold Spells, Central Park (Manhattan, NY), New York Metropolitan Area, Northeastern States (US)The National Weather Service warned of “considerable disruption to transportation and daily life” from Sunday into Monday.
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How a Major Winter Storm This Weekend Could Affect Your Travel Plans
13 hours ago
by Christine Chung
Airlines and Airplanes, Snow and Snowstorms, Delays (Transportation), Content Type: Service, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines Inc, Southwest Airlines Company, Spirit Airlines, United AirlinesIce, sleet and possibly significant snowfall are threatening to snarl travel in much of the eastern U.S. starting on Friday. Here’s what to know.
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Why iPhone and Android Weather Apps Are Freaking Out About Winter Storm Forecasts
10 hours ago
by Judson Jones
Snow and Snowstorms, Weather, Mobile Applications, Social Media, Computers and the Internet, Content Type: Service, Fisher, Eric (1991- ), National Weather ServiceA foot of snow in New York? Two feet? Well, it’s complicated.
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Five Fronts in Trump’s Culture War
18 hours ago
by Graham Bowley
United States Politics and Government, Culture (Arts), CBS Corporation, ABC Inc, Federal Communications Commission, Kennedy, John F, Center for the Performing Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Smithsonian Institution, Bunch, Lonnie G III, Grenell, Richard, Trump, Donald JIn the first year of his second term, President Trump has made sweeping efforts to influence the arts and media in America.
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Nurses in New York City Say They Deserve $200,000 a Year. Here’s Why.
11 hours ago
by Joseph Goldstein and Patrick McGeehan
Finances, Overtime, Hospitals, Wages and Salaries, Nursing and Nurses, Strikes, Organized Labor, Labor and Jobs, Greater New York Hospital Assn, Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Corwin, Steven J, Mamdani, Zohran, Raske, Kenneth E, New York CityAs a strike by health workers stretches into its second week, pay is a major issue in negotiations, even if it’s not discussed much on the picket line.
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Big Insurers Try to Shift Blame for High Health Costs to Hospitals and Drug Makers
11 hours ago
by Reed Abelson
Health Insurance and Managed Care, United States Politics and Government, Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Drugs (Pharmaceuticals), Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010), Hospitals, Medicine and Health, Insurance, Aetna Inc, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Assn, CIGNA Corporation, Elevance Health Inc, House of Representatives, Trump, Donald J, Washington (DC)At two congressional hearings, lawmakers slammed executives of major companies, saying they were failing to rein in the cost of medical care for consumers.
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No Beer for You: How British Pubs Fought a Tax Increase
5 hours ago
by Stephen Castle and Andrew Testa
Politics and Government, Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Landlords, Labour Party (Great Britain), Starmer, Keir, Bournemouth (England), England, Europe, Great Britain, pubsMore than 1,400 pubs declared a ban on Labour lawmakers in response to a plan to raise business rates significantly. The move got attention, and results.
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Questions for Alex Honnold Before He Tries to Climb a Skyscraper in Taipei
16 hours ago
by Adam Skolnick
Rock Climbing, Honnold, Alex, Taipei (Taiwan), Free Solo (Movie), Netflix Inc, El Capitan (Mountain), Caldwell, Tommy (1978- )Alex Honnold again will be ascending without ropes. In an interview he considers the impact on his family if something were to go wrong.
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Oscar Snubs and Surprises: ‘Sinners’ Makes History, ‘Wicked’ Withers
18 hours ago
by Kyle Buchanan
Academy Awards (Oscars), Movies, Actors and Actresses, Clooney, George, Edgerton, Joel, Erivo, Cynthia, Grande, Ariana, Infiniti, Chase (2000- ), Johnson, Dwayne (1972- ), Lawrence, Jennifer, Lindo, Delroy, Mescal, Paul (1996- ), Plemons, Jesse (1988- ), White, Jeremy Allen, F1 (Movie), Wicked: For Good (Movie)Ariana Grande, Chase Infiniti and Paul Mescal were shut out, but voters made room for Delroy Lindo, Kate Hudson and “F1.”
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2026 Oscar Nominations: See the Full List
17 hours ago
by Shivani Gonzalez and Kellina Moore
Movies, Academy Awards (Oscars), Arco (Movie), Avatar: Fire and Ash (Movie), Blue Moon (Movie), Bugonia (Movie), Come See Me in the Good Light (Movie), Cutting Through Rocks (Movie), Diane Warren: Relentless (Movie), Elio (Movie), F1 (Movie), Frankenstein (2025) (Movie), Hamnet (Movie), If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (Movie), It Was Just an Accident (Movie), Jurassic World Rebirth (Movie), KPop Demon Hunters (Movie), Little Amelie or the Character of Rain (Movie), Marty Supreme (Movie), Zootopia 2 (Movie), Weapons (Movie), Train Dreams (Movie), The Voice of Hind Rajab (Movie), The Ugly Stepsister (Movie), The Smashing Machine (Movie), The Secret Agent (Movie), The Perfect Neighbor (Movie)The movies competing for the 98th Academy Awards. The ceremony will air on March 15.
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Latin Americans Love the Right. Can You Blame Them?
4 hours ago
by Michael Reid
Latin America, US-Venezuela Conflict (2025- ), Maduro, Nicolas, Chavez, Hugo, Venezuela, Civil Rights and LibertiesThe right is ascendant in Latin America. How long will it last?
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NATO as We Know It Is Coming to an End, and That’s OK
4 hours ago
by Rajan Menon
Trump, Donald J, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, United States, United States International Relations, Greenland, Denmark, Europe, European Union, Putin, Vladimir V, RussiaEurope has a chance to step out of America’s shadow.
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Seth Meyers Says Trump’s Deals Are as Strong as a Pinkie Swear
3 hours ago
by Trish Bendix
Television, Meyers, Seth, Late Night with Seth Meyers (TV Program), Late Show with Stephen Colbert (TV Program), Colbert, Stephen, Kimmel, Jimmy, Fallon, Jimmy, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (TV Program), Johnson, Josh (1986- )“At this point, it’s pretty clear world leaders make deals with Trump the way kids do on the playground,” Meyers said of the president on Wednesday.
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F.A.A. Says Helicopter Restrictions Imposed After D.C. Crash Will Stay
8 hours ago
by Karoun Demirjian
Airlines and Airplanes, Aviation Accidents, Safety and Disasters, Helicopters, American Airlines Flight 5342, United States Politics and Government, Federal Aviation Administration, Defense Department, National Transportation Safety Board, Homendy, Jennifer, Washington (DC), Reagan, Ronald, Washington National Airport, United States ArmyThe agency said that expanding the restrictions and making them permanent were urgent steps for avoiding another crash.
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Dallas County Exonerates Black Man Who Was Executed in 1956
7 hours ago
by Neil Vigdor
False Arrests, Convictions and Imprisonments, Black People, Race and Ethnicity, Sex Crimes, Confessions, Capital Punishment, Decisions and Verdicts, Ethics and Official Misconduct, Murders, Attempted Murders and Homicides, Criminal Justice, Discrimination, Innocence Project, Police Department (Dallas, Tex), Creuzot, John, Mapes, Mary, Price, John Wiley, Dallas (Tex)An all-white jury convicted Tommy Lee Walker of rape and murder, relying on inadmissible evidence and a coerced confession that he immediately recanted, county officials said.
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Barron Trump Called U.K. Police After Witnessing Woman ‘Getting Beat Up’ on Video Call
13 hours ago
by Lizzie Dearden and Stephen Castle
Trump, Barron (2006- ), London (England), Courts and the Judiciary, Crime and Criminals, Great Britain, England, internal-open-access-from-nlThe details of an emergency call made by President Trump’s youngest son to the London police last year emerged during a trial this week.
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James Bernard, a Founding Editor of a Hip-Hop ‘Bible,’ Dies at 58
11 hours ago
by Alex Williams
Rap and Hip-Hop, Deaths (Obituaries), Source, The (Magazine), Bernard, James (1965-2025)One of the most influential voices of the seminal magazine The Source, he chronicled rap’s rise and its explosion into the cultural mainstream.