Ukraine Plans Joint Defense Projects With Allies to Improve Missile Protection
KYIV – Ukraine is considering forming consortia with its allies to build air defences capable of downing ballistic missiles and overcome a critical deficit of munitions for U.S.-made Patriot systems, its defence minister said. Patriot systems have been an important…
Nintendo Eyes $1.9 Billion Share Sale by Kyoto Bank and Other Investors
TOKYO – Nintendo plans an unwinding of strategic shareholdings that would see companies including MUFG Bank and the Bank of Kyoto selling shares of the “Super Mario” maker, according to three sources familiar with the situation. The sale is expected…
US Envoy Barrack Meets Iraq’s Maliki for Political Talks
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Shi’ite alliance’s candidate for premier, on Friday, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Maliki has been nominated by a powerful Shi’ite bloc to return to the…
Global Smartphone Market Set for Record Decline in 2026 Amid Soaring Memory Prices
The global smartphone market is poised to suffer its biggest decline ever in 2026, sinking to a more than decade low in shipments, as surging memory chip prices drive up device costs, the International Data Corporation said on Thursday. Smartphone…
US and Ukraine Discuss Post-War Reconstruction Amid Ongoing Fighting
GENEVA/KYIV – Ukrainian and U.S. officials met in Geneva on Thursday for talks on post-war reconstruction despite a deadlock in negotiations with Russia, and officials in Kyiv hoped to finalise key details of a settlement at a trilateral meeting early…
Hillary Clinton to testify in congressional Epstein probe
WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to testify behind closed doors on Thursday to a congressional committee investigating the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, though it is not clear how much new information will come…
US Charges Former F-35 Pilot for Training Chinese Air Force
WASHINGTON- The U.S. has arrested and charged a former U.S. Air Force fighter jet pilot with allegedly training China’s military, highlighting Beijing’s persistent efforts to modernize its armed forces by siphoning off U.S. secrets. Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr., a former…
Kansas Invalidates Driver’s Licenses and Birth Certificates of Over 1,000 Transgender Residents
NEW YORK – The Kansas state government has invalidated the driver’s licenses and birth certificates of transgender residents who changed the gender on those documents, in accordance with a law that took effect on Thursday. The move affects more than…
US Plans to Admit 4,500 White South Africans Monthly as Refugees
WASHINGTON/JOHANNESBURG – The U.S. aims to process 4,500 refugee applications from white South Africans per month, far above President Donald Trump’s stated refugee program cap, and is installing trailers on embassy property in Pretoria to support the effort, a U.S….
Trump Brothers’ American Bitcoin Posts Quarterly Loss Amid Crypto Market Drop
American Bitcoin, backed by two of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sons, swung to a fourth-quarter loss on Thursday amid a weakness in the digital assets space. Concerns over stretched valuations in artificial-intelligence stocks and uncertainty around the timing and scale…
Nearly 1 Million UK Young People Are Not in Work or Education
LONDON – Nearly 1 million Britons aged 16-24 were not in employment, education or training at the end of last year, the second-highest level in more than a decade, according to official data released on Thursday. The rate of young…
Greenland Lawmakers Push Foreign Investment Screening Law Amid Surge in US Interest
COPENHAGEN – A surge in property interest from U.S. buyers in Nuuk early last year prompted lawmakers to rush through curbs on foreign purchases and shifted the focus of Greenland’s upcoming foreign-investment screening law, lawmakers and other people familiar with…
Russia Launches Overnight Missile and Drone Attacks on Ukraine, Injuring at Least 20
KYIV – Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones last night, causing damage to residential buildings and injuring about 20 people in the eastern and southern regions, local authorities said on Thursday. Ballistic and cruise missiles were directed at Kyiv,…
Chinese Influence Operation Targeted Japan Elections, Trump and Other Countries, US Foundation Says
In the days surrounding Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s February election win, several dozen X accounts linked to a Chinese misinformation campaign attacked her deeply conservative views and hawkish approach to China, said a U.S. research institute focused on national…
Israeli Fire Kills Three in Gaza as Truce Deal Falters
CAIRO – An Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, the territory’s health officials said, and the Israeli military said it killed a militant who posed a threat to its forces in the south of…
Poland Is Loyal US Ally but Cannot Be a ‘Sucker,’ Foreign Minister Sikorski Says
WARSAW – The U.S. remains Poland’s most important partner in military cooperation, and Warsaw has been and will remain a loyal ally, but it can’t be a “sucker”, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in a speech to parliament on…
Edmond de Rothschild Says It Will ‘Monitor the Situation’ After Epstein Files Release
Swiss private bank Edmond de Rothschild said on Wednesday its board would “monitor the situation” after U.S. Department of Justice files showed CEO Ariane de Rothschild kept up years-long contact with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as she sought to…
US says it will allow resale of Venezuelan oil to Cuba
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday it would authorize companies seeking licenses to resell Venezuelan oil to Cuba, according to guidance posted on the department’s website, a move that could help ease the island’s acute fuel scarcity….
Hillary Clinton Faces Congressional Inquiry Over Epstein Links
WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was due to testify behind closed doors on Thursday to a congressional committee investigating the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans targeted one of his longtime…
Trump Asks US Supreme Court to End Protections for Syrian Immigrants
President Donald Trump’s administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to intervene in its effort to strip deportation protections from about 6,000 Syrians living in the United States. The Justice Department in an emergency request asked the Supreme Court…