Author: Justin M. Larson

U.S. authorities have accused Hezbollah of complicity in drug trafficking and money laundering schemes in Venezuela. Source link

The logo of the German car manufacturer Volkswagen can be seen on a vehicle in front of a VW dealership.Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesShares of some of Europe’s biggest carmakers fell sharply on Monday morning, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to impose tariffs on several European countries over Greenland.Europe’s Stoxx Automobiles and Parts index traded 2.3% lower at around 8:18 a.m. London time (3:18 a.m.).Germany’s Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz Group were trading between 2.5% to 4% lower shortly after the opening bell, while Milan-listed shares of Ferrari dipped around 2% in early deals.Milan-listed shares of Stellantis,…

TANGSHAN, CHINA – JANUARY 01: A nurse feeds a newborn baby at a maternal and child health hospital on the first day of 2026 on January 1, 2026 in Tangshan, Hebei Province of China. (Photo by Zhu Dayong/VCG via Getty Images)Zhu Dayong | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesChina’s birthrate fell to a record low last year, underscoring a deepening demographic crisis as Beijing struggles to reverse a shrinking and aging population. Births dropped to 5.6 per 1,000 people in 2025, down from 6.4 in 2023, marking the lowest level on record, according to data compiled by Wind Information going…

One of Asia’s most dynamic nations is weighing how to balance government control with raising per capita G.D.P. by about 70 percent in five years. Source link

More than 1 percent of New Zealand’s population left over the year ending in October. Many of the migrants were chasing salaries and opportunities in neighboring Australia. Source link

The country has seen a surge of unrest in recent days, including uprisings at prisons and the killing of police officers, which the authorities have blamed on gangs. Source link

Pedestrians in the Huaqiangbei electronics market area in Shenzhen, China, on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesChina’s economic growth slowed to its weakest pace in nearly three years in the fourth quarter as domestic demand softened, though full-year growth matched Beijing’s target despite growing trade frictions with the U.S. and a prolonged real estate slump. Gross domestic product grew 4.5% in the October-to-December period, data from the National Statistics Bureau showed Monday. That marked a slowdown from 4.8% in the third quarter and was the weakest reading since the first quarter of 2023, when growth…

Falling apartment prices have erased the savings of millions of Chinese households, but exports lifted the economy to 5 percent growth last year. Source link

With fewer babies and more deaths, China’s population fell for a fourth straight year as policymakers face a demographic crisis in the making. Source link

HSINCHU, TAIWAN – APRIL 16: The entrance to a factory of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which is a Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company, in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on April 16, 2025. Daniel Ceng | Anadolu | Getty ImagesThe U.S.-Taiwan deal aimed at expanding chip production capacity in the U.S. is unlikely to fully wean Washington off the island’s most advanced semiconductors anytime soon, several analysts told CNBC, leaving the so-called “silicon shield” largely intact for now.Taiwan dominates global chip production, with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company producing most of the world’s advanced chips. Nearly one-third of…

The world’s 20 best-performing hedge fund firms delivered a record-breaking $115.8 billion in net gains for clients last year, as industry titans including Citadel, Millennium and Bridgewater Associates once again outgunned smaller rivals. The landmark haul helped propel the broader $5.2 trillion industry to its biggest-ever annual dollar gain, at a collective $543 billion, according to this year’s annual “20 Great Money Managers” ranking, published on Monday by Edmond de Rothschild Capital Holdings. TCI, Sir Christopher Hohn’s $77.1 billion activist fund, delivered $18.9 billion for investors in 2025 — the year’s biggest take, and the highest-ever dollar gain by a…

People celebrate the New Year at a ceremony at the Juyongguan Great Wall section, also known as Juyong Pass, in Beijing, China, January 1, 2026. Maxim Shemetov | ReutersAsia-Pacific markets are set to open lower Monday, as investors assessed threats from the Trump administration toward Greenland over the weekend and looked toward key economic data from China. Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders exchanged tense rhetoric over the Arctic territory, with Trump threatening tariffs on eight European countries and demanding control of Greenland, which is part of Denmark.European leaders responded by calling the threats “completely wrong” and…

Shin Ramyun instant noodles on the production line at the NongShim Co. factory in Gumi, South Korea, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. South Korea is scheduled to announce its gross domestic product (GDP) figures on April 24. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFancy some cheese-flavored spicy noodles? Judging by export sales, the rest of the world can’t get enough of South Korea’s food exports, also known as “K-Food.”Exports of “K-Food+” — a category that includes food products and agricultural industries — surged to a record $13.62 billion in 2025, according to the Ministry of Agriculture,…

That’s according to UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who had discussions with over 40 leaders of Sudanese civil society in Northern State’s capital, Dongola, this week.  “But these representatives have also found the solution,” Mr. Türk said in a video on X. “There needs to be an all-out effort, both within Sudan and by the international community to help them, to facilitate their work.”The conflict in Sudan which erupted in 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the armed group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has uprooted some 9.3 million people and has brought about one of the world’s largest hunger…

It’s not yet a full year since European leaders buckled up for President Trump’s second term, and now this rollercoaster ride feels it has reached its most dangerous turn yet.The occupant on the White House is dangling the threat of economic punishment over the heads of countries that are supporting the territorial integrity of an EU member, Denmark. Leaders will hold an emergency EU summit about this in the coming days. If the European Union fights back with similar countermeasures, then it risks a full-blown trade war with the US.If it doesn’t take action, will Trump conclude the bloc of…

Volker Türk was speaking in the Kenyan capital at the end of a five-day mission to Sudan, where “a chronicle of cruelty is unfolding before our very eyes”.He called on “all those who have any influence, including regional actors and notably those who supply the arms and benefit economically from this war” to act urgently to bring it to an end. Mr. Türk last visited Sudan in November 2022.  Back then, he was deeply inspired by civil society—particularly the young people and women who spearheaded the 2018 revolution that led to the overthrow of longstanding leader Omar al-Bashir.Spirit of the…

At least five people have been killed and dozens more injured after two high-speed trains derailed following a collision in southern Spain on Sunday evening.The accident happened near the town of Adamuz, close to the city of Cordoba, when a high-speed train travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed and crashed onto a neighbouring track, rail network operator Adif said.A second train travelling in the opposite direction, from Madrid to Huelva, also derailed. Andalusian emergency services said at least 25 people were seriously injured, with others suffering minor injuries. According to Adif, the crash happened about ten minutes after the train…

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of catastrophe in two regions where deadly wildfires are raging.At least 16 people are confirmed dead in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, about 500km (300 miles) south of the capital Santiago. At least 20,000 have been evacuated. The most dangerous fire has swept through dry forests bordering the coastal city of Concepción. About 250 homes have been destroyed, disaster officials said.Local media show pictures of charred cars in the streets. Chile has experienced a series of devastating fires in recent years, worsened by long-term drought.Chile’s forestry agency, Conaf, said firefighters were battling…

ReutersMette Frederiksen and other European allies are standing in solidarity with Greenland, despite Trump’s threat of tariffsDenmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says “Europe won’t be blackmailed”, as she and other European leaders continue to weigh their response to US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland.Trump says he will impose new taxes on eight US allies – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK – in February if they oppose his proposed takeover of the autonomous Danish territory.He insists Greenland is critical for US security and has not ruled out taking it by force – a…

One mayor pleaded with the national government for help as flames destroyed entire neighborhoods in the southern region of Biobío. Source link

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Brightspeed, one of the largest fiber broadband providers in the United States, is investigating claims that hackers stole sensitive data tied to more than one million customers.The allegations surfaced when a group calling itself the Crimson Collective posted messages on Telegram warning Brightspeed employees to check their email. The group claims it has access to over one million residential customer records and threatened to release sample data if the company does not respond.At this point, Brightspeed has not confirmed a breach. However, the company says it is actively investigating what it calls…

“The humanitarian situation and crisis in Gaza is far from being over,” Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Friday in an update to journalists in Jerusalem.“For the Palestinians in Gaza, their lives continue to be defined by displacement, trauma, uncertainty, and deprivation.”This has been further compounded by “severe recurrent storms that not only destroy people’s meagre belongings, but they’re also deadly – whether through crumbling buildings or by taking the lives of children who are highly susceptible to the cold”.Repairing roads, clearing rubbleSince the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, humanitarians have brought in over 165,000…

The new unity deal also calls for a cease-fire. Government forces have taken over a number of strategic assets from the Kurdish-led militia in recent days, weakening the force. Source link

ReutersZelensky called on Ukraine’s allies to provide rapid shipments of missilesPresident Zelensky has called Ukraine’s air defence supplies “insufficient”, having revealed several systems were “without missiles” until Friday morning.”I can say this openly because today I have those missiles,” the president said, adding that Ukraine had received a “substantial package” earlier in the day.His comments follow days of intense Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving thousands of people without heating and electricity during a bitterly cold winter.Schools in Kyiv will shut until February, the capital’s mayor has announced, as the city continues to face severe energy shortages amid temperatures…