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World

AI Summary

  • Gucci's stronger-than-expected sales suggest a potential rebound in the luxury sector, providing a positive economic indicator amidst broader uncertainties, while the AI industry continues to see startups struggle with profitability despite significant hype and investment.
  • Geopolitical tensions are escalating, with European defense leaders urging preparedness for future conflicts and increased military spending becoming a driver for industrial orders in some nations, alongside ongoing active conflicts and shifts in nuclear arms policy.
  • Corporate leadership is seeing significant shifts, as exemplified by Toyota's new CEO, while new market segments like prediction platforms are attracting institutional investment, and Japan's stock market reaches record highs reflecting regional economic optimism.
  • Societal trust in institutions, including both government and media, continues to diverge globally, and industries face increasing scrutiny over ethical conduct and regulatory compliance, with high-profile controversies and immigration policies impacting public and business environments.
  • Global health and environmental risks remain prominent, with new disease outbreaks like Nipah virus, extreme weather events causing widespread damage, and concerns mounting over the environmental hazards posed by aging shipping fleets.

ZeroHedge

  • Kering Erupts After Gucci Sales Beat Estimates, Igniting "Turnaround Hopes" an hour ago by Tyler Durden

    Kering Erupts After Gucci Sales Beat Estimates, Igniting "Turnaround Hopes" French luxury group Kering jumped as much as 14% in Paris trading, the biggest intraday move in almost six years, after better-than-expected fourth-quarter sales at its Gucci unit. The UBS Luxury basket (UBXELUX) rose nearly 2%, driven largely by hopes of a turnaround at the luxury house. Fourth quarter sales showed revenue fell about 10%, slightly better than the Bloomberg Consensus estimate of a 10.4% decline. It was Kering's smallest decline in two years, reinforcing Wall Street analysts' view that trends are stabilizing and the pathway to recovery may be near. This

  • Ukraine Launching Arms Exports At Centers Across Europe 2 hours ago by Tyler Durden

    Ukraine Launching Arms Exports At Centers Across Europe Ukraine has another money-making idea - instead of begging for urgently needed funds from Western partners, it plans to start exporting weapons, instead of only buying them. But there is a big and unexpected catch to the whole scheme. Flush with external funding connected to the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced ambitious plans to open ten arms export hubs across the European continent by the end of 2026. Given Ukraine is still an active warzone, and given the likelihood that Russian forces will continue targeting defense manufacturing sites, Ukraine is seeking

  • Struggling AI Startups Kept Afloat Despite Never Becoming Profitable 2 hours ago by Tyler Durden

    Struggling AI Startups Kept Afloat Despite Never Becoming Profitable Authored by Autumn Spredemann via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), For years, artificial intelligence (AI) startups have been pitched as the vehicles of the next productivity boom. But as product delivery lags behind the hype, some AI companies are slipping into a quieter, more troubling category: startups that are functional but no longer viable. Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock Economists and financial institutions describe these firms as “zombie” companies—businesses that can’t cover their debt, operating costs, or generate sufficient returns, yet continue to survive through repeated injections of fresh capital, debt restructuring, or investor reluctance to

  • Do People Trust The Media Or Government More? 3 hours ago by Tyler Durden

    Do People Trust The Media Or Government More? Trust in institutions shapes how societies function—from whether people follow public health guidance to whether they believe election results. Yet confidence in governments and the media has diverged sharply across countries. This visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Niccolo Conte, shows whether people trust the media or the government more, based on responses from nearly 34,000 people across dozens of countries. The data comes from the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer. Respondents were asked whether they trust the government and the media to “do what is right.” HIGH GOVERNMENT TRUST IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ASIA Countries such as Saudi Arabia,

  • "Today, We Are Preparing For War": French Defense Chief Says Europe Has Until 2030, Cites Russia As Biggest Threat 4 hours ago by Tyler Durden

    "Today, We Are Preparing For War": French Defense Chief Says Europe Has Until 2030, Cites Russia As Biggest Threat Via Remix News, France and Europe have four years to prepare for war, said Fabien Mandon, chief of the defense staff of the French Armed Forces, who cited Russia as Europe’s biggest threat. His speech at a major naval conference outlined that France, as well as its allies, must take into account that this war will break out in the near future and that the French military must be ready by 2030. “Today, we are preparing for war,” he said, according to BreakingDefense. During his speech at


The Guardian

  • 53 people dead or missing after migrant boat capsizes in Mediterranean a day ago by Agence France-Presse in Geneva
    Migration, Libya, World news, Africa, Refugees, Middle East and north Africa

    Only two survivors rescued after boat overturned off Libyan coast, UN migration agency says Fifty-three people are dead or missing after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast, the UN migration agency said on Monday. Only two survivors were rescued. The International Organization for Migration said the boat overturned north of Zuwara on Friday, in the latest disaster involving people attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing in the hope of reaching Europe. Continue reading...

  • Ebo Taylor, Ghanaian highlife pioneer and guitarist, dies age 90 a day ago by Laura Snapes
    Music, Culture, Ghana, Fela Kuti, Africa

    Taylor, who did for Ghanaian music what his friend Fela Kuti did for Nigeria, has been called the greatest rhythm guitarist in history Ghanaian musician Ebo Taylor, a definitive force behind the highlife genre, has died age 90. His son Kweku Taylor announced the news on Sunday: “The world has lost a giant. A colossus of African music. Ebo Taylor passed away yesterday; a day after the launch of Ebo Taylor music festival and exactly a month after his 90th birthday, leaving behind an unmatched artistry legacy. Dad, your light will never fade.” Continue reading...

  • Weather tracker: Spain and Portugal hit by third deadly storm in two weeks a day ago by Alice Fowl, Claire Jones and Morgan Thomas for MetDesk
    Flooding, Extreme weather, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Africa, Environment, Japan, South Korea

    Storm Marta sweeps Iberian peninsula just days after Storms Kristin and Leonardo brought deadly flooding and major damage Spain and Portugal have endured another storm over the weekend, just days after the deadly flooding and major damage caused by Storm Kristin and Storm Leonardo last week. Storm Marta passed over the Iberian peninsula on Saturday, bringing fresh torrential rain and killing two people. Storm Kristin killed at least five people after it made landfall on 28 January with Storm Leonardo claiming another victim last Wednesday. The outlook for this week is for more rain across Spain, Portugal and France, especially across north-west

  • RSF drone attack kills 24 people fleeing fighting in central Sudan, says doctors group 3 days ago by Associated Press
    Sudan, Africa, Middle East and north Africa, World news

    Eight children including two infants among dead in vehicle carrying displaced people, says Sudan Doctors Network A drone attack by a paramilitary group has hit a vehicle carrying displaced families in central Sudan, killing at least 24 people, including eight children, a doctors’ group said on Saturday. The attack by the Rapid Support Forces took place close to the city of Er Rahad in North Kordofan province, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks the country’s war. The vehicle was transporting displaced people who fled fighting in the Dubeiker area, the group said in a statement. Among the dead children were

  • Thousands of Malawi businesses close in protest over tax changes 3 days ago by Charles Pensulo in Blantyre
    Global development, Tax and spending, Protest, Malawi, Africa, World news

    Peaceful demonstrations force a delay in measures aimed at improving revenue collection but which many fear will be fatal for small traders Demonstrations across Malawi’s four main cities during the past week have achieved a delay in the introduction of a new tax regime that business owners claim will cripple their livelihoods. Tens of thousands had signed petitions which this week were presented to tax officials and on Monday thousands of small traders shut up shops and businesses to hold protest marches in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Zomba and Mzuzu. Continue reading...


New York Times

  • A Campaign to Revoke the Endangerment Finding Appears Near ‘Total Victory’ 2 hours ago by Lisa Friedman and Maxine Joselow
    United States Politics and Government, Global Warming, Conservatism (US Politics), Regulation and Deregulation of Industry, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline, Natural Gas, Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, Heritage Foundation, Biden, Joseph R Jr, Trump, Donald J, Inhofe, James M, Texas, Mandate for Leadership (Project 2025) (Book)

    A small group of conservative activists has worked for 16 years to stop all government efforts to fight climate change. Their efforts seem poised to pay off.

  • Newly Unbound, Trump Weighs More Nuclear Arms and Underground Tests 14 hours ago by David E. Sanger and William J. Broad
    United States Politics and Government, United States Defense and Military Forces, Nuclear Tests, United States International Relations, Submarines and Submersibles, Nuclear Weapons, Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, Arms Control and Limitation and Disarmament, Treaties, Cold War Era, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Energy Department, State Department, Trump, Donald J, Xi Jinping, Putin, Vladimir V, China, Russia, USSR (Former Soviet Union)

    It remains to be seen whether the three big nuclear powers are headed into a new arms race, or whether President Trump is trying to spur negotiations on a new accord now that a last Cold War treaty has expired.

  • Gabbard’s 2020 Election Claims Put Her Back in Favor With Trump 2 hours ago by Julian E. Barnes, Tyler Pager and Glenn Thrush
    Russian Interference in 2016 US Elections and Ties to Trump Associates, Voter Fraud (Election Fraud), Voting Machines, Presidential Election of 2020, Espionage and Intelligence Services, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gabbard, Tulsi (1981- ), Trump, Donald J, Fulton County (Ga), United States Politics and Government

    Tulsi Gabbard has focused on attacking the so-called deep state after an uneven first year as the director of national intelligence.

  • Trump Threatens to Block Opening of Gordie Howe International Bridge to Canada 11 hours ago by Chris Cameron and Vjosa Isai
    Howe, Gordie, Moroun, Manuel J, Trump, Donald J, Ambassador Bridge, Detroit (Mich), Canada, Ontario (Canada)

    The Gordie Howe International Bridge, expected to open early this year, was built by Canada to ease cargo transport between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

  • Ghislaine Maxwell Refuses to Answer Questions, and Texas Republicans Increase Anti-Muslim Rhetoric 3 hours ago by Tracy Mumford, Will Jarvis, Ian Stewart and J. David Goodman
    United States Politics and Government, Olympic Games (2026), Muslims and Islam, House of Representatives, Trump, Donald J, Texas

    Plus, Olympic medals are falling apart — again.


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