Category: World

Air raid sirens sounded across Caracas on Friday as parts of the Venezuelan capital experienced electricity outages, triggering widespread concern and a swift response from authorities who said the alarm reflected a security drill amid heightened tensions rather than an external attack.Officials said the sirens were activated in several districts shortly after dawn, coinciding with intermittent power losses that affected residential neighbourhoods, transport links and mobile connectivity. Social media footage showed residents gathering in streets and apartment balconies as alarms

Dozens of people are feared missing and at least seven have been confirmed dead after a wooden boat carrying about 200 migrants capsized off the coast of The Gambia during an attempted crossing to Europe, authorities and humanitarian officials said.The vessel overturned in rough Atlantic waters shortly after leaving the West African coastline, according to preliminary accounts from survivors and local responders. Search and rescue teams have been deployed along the coastal stretch near where the boat was last sighted,

Chicago soybean futures eased in the latest session, trimming earlier advances, but still closed the year with their first annual gain in three years, marking a turnaround after a prolonged period of price pressure driven by ample global supplies and volatile demand signals.Prices on the Chicago Board of Trade moved lower during the session as traders locked in profits following weeks of upward momentum. Despite the pullback, soybeans finished the year higher, a development widely attributed to shifting trade flows,

Seven Canadians were among dozens of people injured after two trains collided head-on in Peru, authorities said, prompting emergency responses along a busy rail corridor and diplomatic outreach from Ottawa to assist those affected.Peru’s transport officials said the crash occurred when two trains travelling in opposite directions struck each other on the same line, causing multiple carriages to derail and trapping passengers inside. Emergency services, including firefighters and medical teams, were dispatched to the site to evacuate the injured and

Washington has decided to reduce anti-dumping tariffs on certain pasta imports from Italy, a step that Italian officials say could ease a long-running trade dispute and marginally lower costs for American consumers while restoring access for affected producers.Italy’s Foreign Ministry said the United States would cut duties imposed on specific Italian pasta brands after a review of the measures, which were introduced following complaints by American manufacturers that imports were being sold below fair value. The ministry described the decision

 European Space Agency officials are assessing the impact of another cyber intrusion after a criminal group claimed it is offering around 200 gigabytes of agency data for sale on underground forums, raising fresh questions about the resilience of public-sector space infrastructure to sustained digital threats.The alleged breach, disclosed by the attackers through dark-web postings and shared among cybersecurity monitoring firms, is described as involving internal documents, technical files and correspondence linked to external contractors. ESA has acknowledged that it is

Remarks attributed to cybersecurity entrepreneur Shlomo Kramer have ignited a broader debate in technology and legal circles over how far governments and platforms should go in policing online speech, touching a sensitive nerve in the United States where the First Amendment sits at the centre of public life. Video clips and quotations circulating on social media platforms this week show Kramer arguing that authorities need to “control all the social platforms” and take a firmer hand in overseeing what is

President Donald Trump has put off a scheduled increase in tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, a move that slows the pace of his trade levies as household price pressures remain a political concern.The postponement, announced by administration officials after consultations with manufacturers and retailers, affects a tranche of consumer goods largely sourced from overseas supply chains. The delay keeps existing duty rates in place while officials review market conditions and the potential knock-on effects for inflation,

Federal vehicle safety regulators have opened a probe into the emergency door release mechanism on the Tesla Model 3 following complaints that occupants may struggle to exit the vehicle during power failures or after crashes, raising concerns about passenger safety in critical moments.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said its Office of Defects Investigation has begun a preliminary evaluation after receiving reports that the manual door release, designed to be used when the electronic system fails, may be difficult to

A magnetic levitation test run in China has pushed rail engineering into uncharted territory, with a prototype train reaching 700 kilometres an hour in roughly two seconds during a controlled acceleration trial. The demonstration, carried out on a short test track designed for extreme propulsion experiments, underscores Beijing’s drive to redefine high-speed ground transport and narrow the gap between rail and short-haul aviation.Engineers involved in the programme said the run focused on acceleration rather than sustained cruising, highlighting the system’s

Japan has taken a decisive step towards restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station, the largest such facility in the world by capacity, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s post-Fukushima energy policy. The move follows regulatory clearance and political backing after more than a decade of safety reviews, legal scrutiny and local opposition stemming from the 2011 nuclear disaster.The plant, located in Niigata prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, has been idle since the Fukushima Daiichi accident triggered the

Japan has taken a decisive step towards restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station, the largest such facility in the world by capacity, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s post-Fukushima energy policy. The move follows regulatory clearance and political backing after more than a decade of safety reviews, legal scrutiny and local opposition stemming from the 2011 nuclear disaster.The plant, located in Niigata prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, has been idle since the Fukushima Daiichi accident triggered the

Japan has taken a decisive step towards restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station, the largest such facility in the world by capacity, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s post-Fukushima energy policy. The move follows regulatory clearance and political backing after more than a decade of safety reviews, legal scrutiny and local opposition stemming from the 2011 nuclear disaster.The plant, located in Niigata prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, has been idle since the Fukushima Daiichi accident triggered the

Artificial intelligence-powered surveillance is moving from corridors and playgrounds into some of the most sensitive spaces on school campuses, as administrators turn to new tools to curb vaping, bullying and violent incidents while grappling with rising concerns over student privacy, data security and psychological impact.School districts in the United States and parts of Europe have begun deploying AI-driven camera systems, audio sensors and environmental monitors that promise early detection of prohibited behaviour. At Beverly Hills High School in California, AI-enabled

Kenya’s leadership has renewed its push to project the country as a future developed economy, with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki rejecting claims that the ambition is unrealistic and arguing that structural reforms, demographic momentum and targeted investment are laying the groundwork for first-world status.Speaking at a public forum on economic transformation, Kindiki said scepticism about Kenya’s trajectory often ignored long-term planning frameworks and measurable gains in infrastructure, education and financial inclusion. He framed the ambition not as political rhetoric but

China’s shipments of rare-earth permanent magnets to the United States fell by 11% in November from October, underscoring how strategic trade frictions and regulatory tightening continue to weigh on a supply chain critical to electric vehicles, wind turbines and advanced defence systems. The monthly drop came despite a temporary easing of broader trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, signalling that structural constraints rather than short-term diplomacy are shaping flows.Customs data from Beijing show that overall magnet exports declined

UK authorities are investigating a sophisticated cyber intrusion into the country’s diplomatic systems after attackers penetrated networks at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, accessed sensitive material and triggered a sweeping security review across government. The breach, discovered in October 2025 during routine monitoring, has been linked by officials to a state-aligned group assessed to have connections to China, sharpening concerns over espionage risks amid strained geopolitical ties.According to officials briefed on the matter, the attackers gained unauthorised access to