Author: Justin M. Larson

In this year’s contest, a campaign by Israel to encourage voting for its entrant drew criticism. Source link

Johannesburg this weekend will host the first G20 meeting on African soil. Protesters are using the moment to draw attention to domestic problems. Source link

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! App stores are supposed to be reliable and free of malware or fake apps, but that’s far from the truth. For every legitimate application that solves a real problem, there are dozens of knockoffs waiting to exploit brand recognition and user trust. We’ve seen it happen with games, productivity tools and entertainment apps. Now, artificial intelligence has become the latest battleground for digital impostors.The AI boom has created an unprecedented gold rush in mobile app development, and opportunistic actors are cashing in. AI-related mobile apps collectively account for billions of downloads, and…

The popular gaming platform said the tool was designed to stop children from chatting with older users they didn’t know. Source link

This aerial picture shows the oil tanker Boracay anchored off the Atlantic Coast off Saint-Nazaire, western France on October 1st, 2025. French authorities said Wednesday they were investigating the oil tanker Boracay anchored off the Atlantic Coast and suspected of being part of Russia’s clandestine “shadow fleet”.Damien Meyer | Afp | Getty ImagesOil prices extended declines and energy stocks fell sharply on Friday morning as U.S. President Donald Trump pushed for a peace deal to end the long-running Russia-Ukraine war. International benchmark Brent crude futures with January expiry slipped 2% to $62.09 per barrel at 11:02 a.m. London time (6:02…

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside the West Wing of the White House on October 17, 2025, in Washington, DC. Win Mcnamee | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that Kyiv is “geared up for clear and honest work” to develop a peace plan to end the country’s war with Russia, after being presented with draft proposals by U.S. delegates. On Tuesday, Axios reported that a secret peace deal was being drawn up by Washington and Moscow, with some media outlets reporting a breakthrough could be imminent. In a post on the social networking…

Facing reprisals from Beijing for a remark over Taiwan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi must walk a fine line to prevent escalating the dispute without looking weak at home. Source link

Getty ImagesMaría Corina Machado has been in hiding since the start of the yearVenezuela’s opposition leader will be considered a “fugitive” if she travels to Norway to collect her Nobel Peace Prize, the nation’s attorney general has said.Tarik William Saab told news agency AFP that María Corina Machado – who has been living in hiding to avoid arrest – was accused of “acts of conspiracy, incitement of hatred, and terrorism”.The 58-year-old was named as the prestigious prize’s recipient in October, being praised for her efforts towards a “peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy”.She has long denounced President Nicolás Maduro’s government…

The entrance to a Foxconn construction site in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, in May 2019.Katie Tarasov | CNBCFoxconn showcased its push into artificial intelligence at its annual ‘Hon Hai Tech Day’ in Taiwan on Friday, underscoring the world’s largest contract manufacturer’s efforts to evolve beyond its role as the biggest assembler of Apple’s iPhones. The company, officially known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., has also become a major player in the AI hardware space, with its event taking place the same day it announced a partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, in a video statement streamed at the event,…

Laura Gozzi and James ChaterRussia advances in Ukraine, but is there an end in sight?Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is ready to work with the US on “their vision” for ending the war with Russia.Under the widely leaked plan, Kyiv would cede significant areas of the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine that it still controls, cut the size of its army, and pledge not to join Nato – proposals it has previously ruled out.The White House has pushed back on claims that Ukraine was not involved in the drafting of the plan, which emerged following meetings between US special…

Ethiopia’s Ministry of TourismThe collection includes crowns, shields and paintings all considered culturally and historically significantTwelve historical artefacts have been formally returned to Ethiopia after being kept by a German family for more than 100 years. The artefacts, originally collected in the 1920s by Germany’s then-envoy to Ethiopia Franz Weiss and his wife Hedwig, were handed over on Wednesday to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University.The collection included crowns, shields and paintings, all considered culturally and historically significant in Ethiopia. “The artefacts still stand as a symbol of the long-standing and friendly relationship between Germany and Ethiopia,”…

Paul Kirby,Europe digital editor and BBC MonitoringBloomberg via Getty ImagesKirill Dmitriev has played a prominent role in Russia’s return from diplomatic isolation in 2025Kirill Dmitriev is a rare breed of Russian diplomat.At 50 he is relatively young and he has a deep understanding of the US, having studied and worked there for several years.He is also a man of commerce, as head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, and a good fit for his opposite number in the Trump administration, special envoy Steve Witkoff.Dmitriev now finds himself under the spotlight over a draft peace plan that emerged after he spent…

As some lawmakers press U.S. universities to curtail ties with China, a postdoctoral student’s prosecution raises questions about how big the danger actually is. Source link

Fátima Bosch was crowned in Thailand on Friday. The competition got off to a rocky start this month when she briefly walked out after being scolded by an organizer. Source link

More than 100,000 people disappeared during the 13-year civil war. To bring closure to some of their families, the new government faces the challenging task of exhuming remains from scores of burial sites. Source link

The tourists, from Mexico, Britain and Germany, died Monday on a popular hiking trail in the Torres del Paine National Park. Source link

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (C) answers a question during a session of the House of Councillors Budget Committee at the National Diet in Tokyo on November 12, 2025. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP) (Photo by KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images) Kazuhiro Nogi | Afp | Getty ImagesJapan’s cabinet has reportedly announced a stimulus package totaling 21.3 trillion yen ($135.5 billion) on Friday.Public broadcaster NHK reported that the package was based on three pillars: addressing rising prices, achieving a strong economy, and strengthening defense and diplomatic capabilities, according to a Google translation. The cabinet also said it would expand…

People cycle along a track backdropped with the city skyline in Singapore on June 27, 2025. Roslan Rahman | Afp | Getty ImagesSingapore raised its 2025 economic outlook Friday after stronger growth in the third quarter, but warned that expansion is likely to cool in 2026 as the U.S. tariffs weigh on global demand. The Ministry of Trade and Industry upgraded Singapore’s 2025 GDP forecast to around 4%, up from an earlier range of 1.5% to 2.5%, largely thanks to the better-than-expected economic growth in the third quarter. “Global economic conditions have turned out to be more resilient than expected,”…

A sharp reversal in Asian stocks, after a rally fueled by Nvidia’s strong earnings, underscores how fears of an A.I. bubble are driving broad market swings. Source link

Last week, the Supreme Court ordered the former President and three other senior officials to compensate the families of the victims because they had failed to prevent the tragedy.  More than 270 people were killed in the series of explosions at churches and hotels across the island nation.  A step forward  OHCHR urged Sri Lanka to provide full reparations to the victims, including to establish the truth and to ensure justice.  “Whilst no amount of compensation can ever erase the suffering and pain of the victims and families, this judgment marks a step in the victims’ struggle for recognition of…

The agency announced on Thursday that it was dedicating the International Day of Education on 24 January, to the country’s women and girls.  “No country in the world should bar women and girls from receiving an education. Education is a universal human right that must be respected,” said Director-General Audrey Azoulay.   “The international community has the responsibility to ensure that the rights of Afghan girls and women are restored without delay. The war against women must stop,” she added.  Fears of a ‘lost generation’  Last month, the de facto Taliban authorities in Afghanistan banned young women from universities.  …

Thousands washed ashore dead in the spring, but the fish are back. “They’re pretty hard to kill,” a biology professor said. Source link

Japan’s exports in October massively beating expectations, government data on Friday showed, as shipment to Europe and Asia saw robust growth. Exports grew 3.6% year on year compared with expectations of a 1.1% growth by economists polled by Reuters. However, growth was lower than the 4.2% gain seen in September. The data comes at a time when Japan is locked in a diplomatic spat with its largest trading partner, China, over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments related to Taiwan. Imports to the world’s fourth largest economy unexpectedly rose 0.7%, defying expectations of a 0.7% fall from the Reuters poll. This…

People watch the first sunrise of the new year from a footbridge overlooking the city skyline in Seoul on January 1, 2024. Jung Yeon-je | Afp | Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets were set to open lower Friday, after U.S. tech stocks lost ground and investors’ hopes dimmed of a December rate cut by the Federal Reserve. Oracle and AMD were among the first AI plays to fall into the red on the session, followed by Nvidia, which reversed gains and closed nearly 3% lower. An overdue September jobs report showed the U.S. economy added 119,000 jobs, more than economists’ expected. Traders were last pricing about…