Author: Justin M. Larson
Built during a cosmopolitan era in the 1960s, the Ariana was closed when the Taliban were in power but still standing. Now it’s making way for a shopping mall. Source link
Thai warplanes have bombed compounds where people are forced to defraud others online. Rights activists say trafficking victims’ lives are at risk. Source link
A fire engulfing a residential building complex at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong, China, on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesWhat a year this has been. Understandably for many, it could not be over soon enough. From the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs to natural and man-made disasters across Asia. To new leaders breaking glass ceilings and old leaders whisked off to The International Criminal Court, or even sentenced to death in absentia. Missiles fired across borders. Terrorist attacks in South Asia and the Pacific. Enduring corruption challenges and…
SHANGHAI, CHINA – The German Christmas Market is lit up at the Bund Central Square near Nanjing Road Pedestrian street in Shanghai, December 15, 2022. (Photo credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets traded mixed Wednesday amid thinner trading as several indexes are set to close early in lieu of the Christmas Eve holiday.Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.14%, while the Topix traded around the flatline. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.2%, while the small-cap Kosdaq was 0.2% lower.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were at 25,818, higher than the HSI’s last close…
Annealed neodymium iron boron magnets sit in a barrel at a Neo Material Technologies Inc. factory in Tianjin, China on June 11, 2010.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesRare earth magnet makers are having a moment as Western nations scramble to build domestic “mine-to-magnet” supply chains and reduce their dependence on China.A turbulent year of supply restrictions and tariff threats has thrust the strategic importance of magnet manufacturers firmly into the spotlight, with rare earths surging toward the top of the agenda amid the U.S. and China’s ongoing geopolitical rivalry. Magnets made from rare earths are vital components for everything from…
Oil exports, the country’s financial lifeblood, have plummeted after the United States took action against three ships that have been used to carry its crude. Source link
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that the military-controlled ballot is unfolding amid intensified violence, intimidation and arbitrary arrests, leaving no space for free or meaningful participation.“These elections are clearly taking place in an environment of violence and repression,” Mr. Türk said in a news release. “There are no conditions for the exercise of the rights of freedom of expression, association or peaceful assembly.”The first phase of the vote, scheduled for 28 December, is being organised by Myanmar’s military authorities more than four years after they seized power in a 2021 coup, dissolved major political parties and…
“Despite intensified diplomatic efforts during the second half of 2025, there was no agreement on the way forward regarding the Iran nuclear programme,” concluded the UN’s chief diplomat, Rosemary DiCarlo. Ms. DiCarlo – the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs – reminded the Council that the best option for the international community is a negotiated settlement that would ensure a peaceful Iranian nuclear programme and provide sanctions relief. At the heart of the split between the Security Council members is a dispute over the legitimacy of holding meetings related to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan…
The internationally recognized government of Libya confirmed the deaths of Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, the army chief of staff, and other officers flying home after a meeting in Turkey. Source link
Kunal Kushwaha, an Indian-origin tech educator and developer advocate, shared a personal account of the limits he says come with holding an Indian passport while working globally. In a viral post on X, Kushwaha described how visa rules and paperwork often disrupt his travel plansAfter a recent trip to Berlin, Kushwaha said he was unable to travel to Ireland to surprise his best friend on his birthday because there was not enough time to apply for another visa. What should have been a simple decision, booking a flight, instead turned into hours spent navigating visa websites. The episode, he wrote,…
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Staying aware of your surroundings matters. That includes hearing smoke alarms, appliance beeps or a knock at the door. Still, real life gets busy. You wear headphones. You get focused. Sounds slip by. That is where Android Sound Notifications help. This built-in accessibility feature listens for key sounds and sends an alert to your screen. Think of it as a gentle tap on the shoulder when something important happens.Although it was designed to help people who are hard of hearing, it is useful for anyone. If you work with noise-canceling headphones or…
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Christmas is around the corner, and so is the SantaStealer malware. While the name sounds jolly, this malware is more than capable of ruining your happiness this festive season. The worst part is that this new strain is available to almost anyone willing to pay a small fee. It essentially works as malware-as-a-service, letting buyers target people at scale, obviously not for any legitimate use.SantaStealer is starting to make noise across Telegram channels and underground hacker forums. It is being marketed as a stealthy, memory-only information stealer that can quietly siphon data…
The Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized government plan to exchange about 2,900 detainees, a rare humanitarian win at a time of deepening political stalemate. Source link
Senior UN political and humanitarian officials are set brief the Security Council this afternoon as members meet to discuss the rapidly deteriorating situation in Sudan, where intensified fighting – including in the Kordofan region – has driven widespread civilian harm and displacement. The region has seen a sharp escalation, including a deadly drone attack on a UN peacekeeping base that killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers. The meeting was requested by Sudan and Transitional Prime Minister, Kamil Eltayeb Idris, is expected to attend. Follow live below and UN News app users can click here. Source link
Two burglars who used the Grindr dating app to trick victims into letting them into their homes have been jailed.Rahmat Khan Mohammadi, 23, and Mohammed Bilal Hotak, 27, would arrange to meet victims at their London properties, and persuade them to provide their phone passwords by asking to play music on YouTube.The Afghan refugees then stole the devices and left before making online or contactless payments, as well as occasionally transferring funds to themselves.Mohammadi targeted 11 victims in his five-month crime spree between 24 October 2024 and 24 March 2025.Hotak offended multiple times between 24 October 2024 and 23 December…
Alex SmithandMohamed Madi,KyivWatch: BBC correspondent at the scene of Kyiv drone attackRussia carried out a “massive” overnight attack on several Ukrainian cities, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, a day after he warned of strikes over the Christmas period.At least three people were killed, according to Ukrainian officials, including a four-year-old child, while energy infrastructure was also targeted, leaving several regions without power.Russia launched 635 drones and 38 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said, adding that 621 of them were downed.Zelensky said “people simply want to be with their families, at home, and safe” in the run-up to Christmas, and said the…
Ballet Jörgen’s holiday scare reaffirmed its mission: taking the art form to remote towns and outposts where most people have never seen a pas de deux. Source link
H-1B applicants face a challenging year ahead as political pushback to the visas is reinforced with a slew of actions from the U.S. administration.On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in India posted on X that since Dec. 15, it has started conducting online presence reviews of all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants in a bid to curb the “abuse of the H-1B program.”The U.S. Department of Labour last week proposed a wage protection law, which experts said could dissuade companies from sponsoring H-1Bs for employees. This would “substantially increase the prevailing wage across the board for all H-1B holders,” Manish Daftari,…
Donald Trump has said the US will keep or sell the crude oil contained on tankers it has seized off the coast of Venezuela, as well as the vessels themselves.The US president’s comments came as Washington continues to pressure the South American country’s leader Nicolas Maduro to stand down.Speaking to reporters in Florida on Monday, Trump said of the oil “we’re going to keep it”, adding: “Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it. Maybe we’ll use it in the Strategic Reserves. We’re keeping the ships also.”The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund…
Small businesses across Canada have lost out on sales because of the trade war, and many worry about their future. Source link
Europe is pressing ahead with plans to ban Russian gas imports by the end of 2027, effectively capping Moscow’s energy future in the region and leaving a bevy of stranded assets in its wake.The dual Nord Stream 1 and 2 subsea pipelines were early casualties of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the infrastructure being sabotaged in late 2022 and the latter pipeline — costing $11 billion to build and aimed at doubling cheap Russian gas flows to Germany — never being certified for use. There had been speculation that the major energy infrastructure could eventually be resurrected if, or rather when,…
At least five people have been killed after a Mexican Navy plane crashed in foggy conditions near Galveston, Texas on Monday while transporting a child burns victim.According to flight tracking website Flight Radar, the plane was last recorded at 15:01 local time (21:01 GMT) over Galveston Bay, near Scholes International Airport.The aircraft was taking part in a medical mission on behalf of the Michou y Mau Foundation, which provides care to Mexican children with severe burns.Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy said one person remains missing and two others were rescued alive.Video footage shared with AP news agency showed the wreckage…
The magnetic compass is the last unknown sense in migrating animals. For some scientists, the monarch butterfly is leading the way. Source link
Shares in Novo Nordisk surged 6% Monday, after the Wegovy maker secured approval of its GLP-1 pill — a world first. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 pill gives the Danish pharmaceutical giant a head start over U.S. rival Eli Lilly. The pill’s starting dose of 1.5 milligrams will be available in pharmacies and via select telehealth providers with savings offers for $149 per month in early January, the firm said. Cash-paying patients can access it for the same price via President Donald Trump’s direct-to-consumer website, TrumpRx, according to the deal Novo Nordisk struck with his…
