Category: World

US President Donald Trump has launched a high-stakes $5 billion legal challenge against JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its chief executive, Jamie Dimon, claiming that the country’s largest bank cut off banking services to him and his businesses for political reasons. The lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade County, Florida, alleges the bank closed multiple accounts in 2021 and placed the president and his companies on an informal “blacklist” that hampered their ability to secure financial services elsewhere, inflicting reputational and financial

A sprawling winter storm stretching across the southern and eastern United States has crippled highways, shuttered schools and sent air travel into disarray, as forecasters warned of heavy snowfall and a destructive ice belt cutting from east Texas through the Carolinas.The U. S. National Weather Service said a wide swathe of the country faced hazardous conditions, with snow totals measured in tens of centimetres in parts of the Plains and Midwest and a prolonged spell of freezing rain threatening power

Michigan’s cherry growers are turning to a small falcon with a big appetite for problem birds, placing nesting boxes for American kestrels across orchards to curb fruit damage and reduce contamination risks without chemicals. The approach, adopted over several growing seasons, reflects a broader shift towards nature-based solutions as producers balance yields, food safety and environmental pressures.Kestrels, among North America’s most widespread raptors, prey on starlings, robins and other birds that peck cherries and leave droppings capable of carrying pathogens

 Mistral AI, the French artificial intelligence company behind a fast-growing portfolio of large language models, is in discussions to establish a Global Capability Centre in Bengaluru, a move that would place advanced engineering and research operations in one of Asia’s most competitive technology hubs. People familiar with the matter say the plan, still under evaluation, reflects the company’s need to scale product development while drawing on a deep pool of specialised talent.The proposed centre would focus on core engineering, model

Apple is confronting a shareholder campaign seeking a comprehensive audit of the company’s exposure to China, sharpening a debate over supply-chain concentration, intellectual property protection and geopolitical risk as ties between Washington and Beijing remain strained. The proposal, scheduled for consideration at Apple’s annual meeting set for February 2026, has been filed by a coalition led by the National Legal and Policy Center, which argues that the company’s disclosures do not adequately capture the scale of potential disruption facing its

Global internet traffic surged to unprecedented levels during 2025, underlining how live sport, high-definition streaming and expanding artificial intelligence workloads are reshaping the world’s digital infrastructure. Network operators and exchange operators recorded sharp spikes during major live events, with a Champions League match night in December emerging as one of the heaviest traffic moments ever observed on public internet exchanges.Data collated from large internet exchange platforms showed aggregate traffic volumes climbing steadily through the year before hitting a new peak

South Africa’s currency advanced to its strongest level in roughly three years as a softer US dollar, firm commodity prices and cautious optimism about domestic reforms combined to lift investor appetite for emerging-market assets. The rand strengthened through the week against the greenback and traded at levels last seen before the global tightening cycle gathered pace, reflecting both external tailwinds and renewed focus on policy signals from Pretoria.Early trading showed the rand gaining alongside peers as markets reassessed the outlook

Mozambique has secured a fresh boost for its offshore gas ambitions after the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank approved a $150 million senior loan for the Coral North floating liquefied natural gas project. The decision, taken on January 14, signals renewed momentum for the country’s flagship gas developments and underlines lender confidence in large-scale energy infrastructure anchored in the Rovuma Basin.The financing is earmarked for the Coral North Floating LNG facility, an offshore project designed to monetise

A Milan-based scent technology start-up says it has entered the consumer fragrance market with a countertop device that uses artificial intelligence to blend more than 100 aromas on demand, signalling a push to personalise a category long dominated by mass-produced perfumes. ININUM said the system combines software-led scent design with refillable Eau de Parfum pods developed and produced in Italy, and will be sold from $299, with higher tiers adding features for enthusiasts and professional users.The company describes the device

US immigration authorities began enforcing a new round of visa suspensions on Monday, implementing a policy that affects travellers from a broad set of countries spanning South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. The measures, announced earlier by the United States government, apply from the start of the business day and immediately alter entry conditions for thousands of prospective visitors, students and temporary workers.Officials said the suspensions were introduced under existing immigration and national security powers, citing concerns

A $50 million initiative bringing together the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and OpenAI is being positioned as a practical push to embed artificial intelligence into public health delivery across multiple African countries, with backers arguing the effort could help overstretched systems do more with limited resources while raising questions about data governance and long-term capacity.The collaboration, branded Horizon1000, is designed to fund pilots and scale-ups that apply AI tools to areas such as disease surveillance, maternal and child health,

Africa’s fashion sector gathered fresh momentum in Nairobi as Core Fashion Kenya, working with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, convened designers, manufacturers, policymakers and investors during the Hub of Africa Fashion Week to map pathways for scaling an industry valued at about $31 billion. The discussions centred on moving beyond fragmented national markets to build continent-wide supply chains, strengthen manufacturing depth and unlock export growth while embedding sustainability and decent work.Organisers said the forum brought together decision-makers from

Wall Street posted a powerful advance during the latest trading session, adding an estimated $700 billion to the combined value of listed companies as investors pushed major indices higher on a mix of easing inflation signals, resilient corporate earnings and renewed appetite for growth shares. The move underscored the scale at which US equity markets can reprice within hours when sentiment aligns across sectors.The benchmark S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite both closed firmly in positive territory, while the Dow

Pressure is building on academic institutions across the United Kingdom to reassess their presence on X, as concerns over platform governance, content moderation and reputational risk sharpen following a series of controversies linked to the social media network owned by Elon Musk. Data tracking institutional behaviour suggests higher education may be nearing a decisive shift, with more universities poised to disengage than remain active.Debate over academic engagement with X has intensified after disclosures about misuse of the platform’s generative artificial

France has moved to convene a meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers this week as tensions escalate with the United States over proposed tariffs linked to a high-profile dispute about Greenland. Paris is spearheading coordinated Western efforts to address what it and other European capitals describe as coercive trade threats from Washington, and to explore collective avenues for diplomatic and economic response amidst deepening strain in transatlantic relations.France’s Finance Minister Roland Lescure announced on Monday that he has

New York Stock Exchange plans to introduce continuous, 24-hour trading for United States equities through a newly designed on-chain, tokenised exchange, marking a structural shift in how shares could be issued, traded and settled across time zones. The proposal, disclosed by people familiar with the exchange’s roadmap and echoed in public briefings around digital market infrastructure, would extend trading beyond traditional hours while keeping securities within a regulated framework.Under the plan, the exchange operator would create tokenised representations of listed

China’s annual number of births has fallen to its lowest level since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, deepening demographic pressures on the world’s second-largest economy and intensifying debate over the limits of policy intervention to reverse long-term population decline.Official demographic data show that just over nine million babies were born nationwide during the last full calendar year reported, extending a downward trend that has persisted despite the removal of birth caps and the introduction of incentives aimed

President Donald Trump has moved to reshape how the United States pays for the explosive growth in electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence, backing a plan to use 2026 capacity auctions in the PJM Interconnection to force large technology companies to shoulder a greater share of grid expansion costs. The proposal, framed as a way to protect households and small businesses from higher power bills, places AI data centres at the centre of an intensifying debate over energy pricing, infrastructure

Allegations of labour exploitation have emerged at factories in China producing Labubu figurines, a globally popular designer toy line, prompting scrutiny of working conditions within a supply chain tied to one of the country’s fastest-growing collectibles businesses.Workers interviewed by labour rights groups and regional media describe shifts stretching well beyond legal limits, pay that barely meets local minimum standards, and employment practices that rely heavily on temporary and migrant labour. The accounts centre on manufacturing sites in southern China that

A $10 million federal award has been allocated to the University of Washington to expand advanced computing capacity and strengthen interdisciplinary research tied to artificial intelligence, marking one of the largest public investments in AI infrastructure at a single US campus this year. University leaders said the funding is designed to modernise core systems, widen access for researchers across disciplines and reinforce ethical frameworks as AI tools become more deeply embedded in science, health and climate research.The grant will be