Author: Justin M. Larson

Officials experimented with cloud seeding to try and reduce environmental pollutants as residents choke on filthy air. Source link

Mass demonstrations are planned in Jerusalem on Thursday against efforts to end a decades-old exemption from military service for Israel’s Haredi religious students. Source link

China has suspended export controls announced this month, but was conspicuously silent about rules imposed earlier, which are snarling global supply chains. Source link

Germany has officially scrapped its fast-track citizenship program, a move that has stirred debate across Europe and gone viral on social media. Introduced in 2024 to attract highly skilled professionals, the program allowed qualified foreign nationals to apply for citizenship after just three years of residency—instead of the usual five. But after drawing fewer than 1,000 applicants and facing strong political resistance, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government voted in early October 2025 to end the scheme. The decision marks a major shift in Germany’s immigration stance, emphasising “integration over incentives.”What was Germany’s fast-track citizenship program?The fast-track route, part of a 2024…

The two leaders reached an agreement on fentanyl, some tariffs and rare earths, at least for a year. But even as the global trade picture cleared a little, Mr. Trump spurred new worries about nuclear proliferation. Source link

LEAD PICTUREThis report is from this week’s CNBC’s “Inside India” newsletter, which brings you timely, insightful news and market commentary on the emerging powerhouse. Subscribe here.The big story31-year-old Aarushi Kilawat is a fashion entrepreneur from India’s Jaipur, a small city with less than 5 million residents — a far cry from Indian metropolises like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.Her brand, The Loom Art, works with over 500 artisans to make apparel from handwoven or hand-embroidered fabrics found across India’s small towns since 2018.These clothes end up in high-end stores of Mumbai, India’s financial capital, with a population of over 20 million, and…

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media aboard Air Force One on October 30, 2025 in flight.Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesShares of U.S.-listed rare earth miners rallied on Thursday after China agreed to delay the introduction of further export controls as part of an agreement reached between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.Critical Metals jumped 7% in premarket, USA Rare Earth rose around 5% and Energy Fuels was up 3%. MP Materials and NioCorp Developments, meanwhile, were both seen around 2% higher.The moves come shortly after Trump declared that the “rare…

China agreed to suspend for a year some of its limits on exports of rare earth metals, while the U.S. halved its fentanyl-related tariffs. Source link

By withholding soybean purchases and rare-earth exports, China extracted relief from U.S. tariffs and delayed export controls, without conceding much in return. Source link

The United States has destroyed at least 14 boats in international waters as part of a Trump administration crackdown on alleged drug trafficking. The strikes carried out against targets in both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean have killed at least 57 people. The BBC’s White House reporter Bernd Debusmann Jr explains what the US has said about the military operation and highlights concerns raised by legal experts and some Democratic and Republican lawmakers.Video by Blanca Estrada Source link

The aurora borealis draws thousands of visitors to the Far North each year. A new play tells the lights’ tales from the perspective of Indigenous creators. Source link

Beijing will work with Washington to “properly resolve” issues around the divestiture of the U.S. operations of TikTok, China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement Thursday, according to a CNBC translation.The ministry did not provide a timeframe or any further details. The comment followed a high-stakes meeting earlier in the day between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the first in-person gathering of the leaders since Trump took office in January.Trump did not mention TikTok in his remarks with reporters following his meeting with Xi. Instead, he outlined how the U.S. will roll back some tariffs on…

Thousands of foreign women have moved to the Mexican capital for a “life reset,” creating successful businesses and drawing more expats like them. Not all Mexicans are pleased. Source link

The menus on the president’s tour of three countries in Asia reflected the culinary acrobatics the host nations performed to accommodate his palate and foreign policy goals. Source link

A new Jeep Wrangler 4-Door Sahara 4×4 vehicle displayed for sale at a Stellantis NV dealership in Miami, Florida, US, on Saturday, April 5, 2025.Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesStellantis on Thursday issued a warning on one-off costs through the second half of the year as the embattled automaker seeks to respond to political, economic and regulatory challenges.The multinational conglomerate, which owns household names including Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot, reaffirmed its financial guidance for the second half of the year, citing continued improvement in net revenues, cash flow and operating income.Stellantis said, however, that it expects…

The Jamaican authorities say they are still trying to assess the extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa – the category 5 hurricane which hit the island on Tuesday. Much of Jamaica remains without power but footage of the aftermath has started to emerge on social media.BBC Verify’s Nick Beake has been examining it to try to build up a picture of the worst hit areas. Produced by Aisha Sembhi. Source link

Nick Davis,Mandeville and Rachel HaganEPAA woman surveys the damage to her home in northern JamaicaJamaicans are taking stock after Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm to strike the island in modern history, barrelled across the country leaving behind a trail of ruin.Without power or phone coverage, much of the country is isolated and so information is trickling through.Authorities were only able to confirm the first deaths as a result of the hurricane over 24 hours after landfall. The bodies of three men and one woman were washed up by the flood waters in St Elizabeth Parish, local government minister Desmond McKenzie…

Paul KirbyEurope digital editorReutersRob Jetten became one of the youngest ministers in Dutch history under former PM Mark RutteRob Jetten’s achievement in dragging his socially liberal D66 party from fifth place to the top of Dutch politics in less than two years has been extraordinary. But politically, all the stars were perfectly aligned for the 38-year-old to do so.The result of Wednesday’s election is too close to call, with Jetten vying with anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders for the most seats in parliament.No other political leader commanded as much screen time during the campaign as Jetten and his smile and cheerful…

A US attack on a boat suspected of transporting illegal drugs has left four men dead in the eastern Pacific Ocean, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth announced on X on Wednesday.”Earlier today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on yet another narco-trafficking vessel,” Hegseth posted.On Monday, US strikes on suspected drug-trafficking ships in the Pacific killed 14 people, according to Hegseth. The latest strikes, which have come at the direction of the president, mark an escalation in what the White House has cast as a campaign to stop seaborne narcotics…

Five more suspects have been arrested over their involvement in the Louvre heist, Paris’ public prosecutor has said.They were arrested on Wednesday night in the Paris region, Laure Beccuau’s office said.A main suspect was among those taken into custody, AFP reported. The new arrests come after two men “partially recognised” their involvement in the brazen theft on Wednesday.Items worth €88m (£76m; $102m) were taken from the world’s most-visited museum on 19 October, when four thieves broke into the building in broad daylight.The jewels had not been recovered yet, Beccuau told French radio station RTL on Thursday.She added that DNA from…

Caribbean countries are reeling as Hurricane Melissa has left a trail of devastation and flooding in Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba.At least four people in Jamaica are confirmed dead and at least 20 people have died in Haiti flooding.Residents across the region say clean up and rebuilding will be difficult. “It will take a long time to recover”, one Cuban resident said. Source link

Hurricane Melissa floods and destroys towns across CaribbeanGabriela Pomeroy and Nardine SaadHurricane Melissa has continued its devastating sweep across the Caribbean, decimating homes and infrastructure, flooding neighbourhoods and leaving dozens dead. The impact in Jamaica was clearer on Wednesday, after the island nation was hit squarely by the category five storm – one of the most powerful hurricanes ever measured in the region. At least five people have been confirmed dead there. At least another 20 died during flooding in Haiti as Melissa, now a category two storm, tore through the region. In Jamaica, people remain stranded on roofs and…

The Shell gas station logo is displayed on February 13, 2025 in Austin, Texas.Brandon Bell | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBritish oil major Shell on Thursday reported a significant drop in third-quarter profit on weaker crude prices.Shell posted adjusted earnings of $5.4 billion for the quarter, beating analyst expectations of $5.05 billion, according to an LSEG-compiled consensus. A separate, company-provided analyst forecast had put Shell’s expected third-quarter profit at $5.09 billion.The London-headquartered firm reported adjusted earnings of $6 billion over the same period last year and $4.26 billion for this year’s April-June period.Shell’s London-listed share price has climbed more…

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – MARCH 7: NewJeans attends the first court hearing for ADOR lawsuit at Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu on March 7, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images)The Chosunilbo Jns | Imazins | Getty ImagesSouth Korea’s largest K-pop agency Hybe added about $644 million in market value Thursday after a court reportedly ruled that girl group NewJeans’ contract with its sublabel ADOR remains valid.Hybe shares gained as much as 7.12%, boosting its market capitalization by roughly 915 billion won ($644 million).The court ruling means that NewJeans are still contractually bound…