World

A federal judge early Saturday blocked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department records that contain sensitive personal data such as Social Security and bank account numbers for millions of Americans. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued the preliminary injunction after 19 Democratic attorneys general sued President Donald Trump. The case, filed in…

China on Friday lashed out at what it called U.S. “coercion” after Panama declined to renew a key infrastructure agreement with Beijing following Washington’s threat to take back the Panama Canal. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a briefing that China “firmly opposes the U.S. smearing and undermining the Belt and Road cooperation through means of…

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was captured on a hot-mic telling a gathering of business leaders that President Donald Trump’s comments about taking over Canada is a “real thing.” Trudeau, who said he will step down after March’s elections, said Trump, who has suggested making Canada the “51st state” because he wants the country’s minerals, must be…

President Donald Trump said he has no plans to deport Prince Harry while taking a shot at the British royal’s wife, Meghan Markle. “I don’t want to do that,” Trump told the New York Post. “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.” The Duke and Duchess of Sussex live in Montecito,…

The parents of a young California tech whistleblower whose 2024 death was ruled a suicide are now suing the City and County of San Francisco, alleging they violated public records laws by refusing to fulfill their requests for information about their son’s death. Suchir Balaji, 26, was an employee at OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT,…

A traffic accident involving a bus in southern Mexico, which took place in the early hours of Saturday morning, killed 41 people, the government of Tabasco state said in a statement, adding that recovery work was still ongoing. The bus, which was carrying 48 people, collided with a truck, resulting in the deaths of 38 passengers and…

Sri Lanka police said Saturday that they have opened an investigation into the deaths of two female tourists. A 24-year-old British national, along with a 26-year-old German, were feeling sick at their hostel in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, and then taken to the hospital. The family of the British woman, Ebony McIntosh, said she had experienced symptoms…

Hamas has freed three Israeli hostages in Gaza, while Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners in the latest exchange as part of an internationally brokered ceasefire deal. The three hostages – Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy – were handed over to the Red Cross on Saturday morning before reuniting with their families in Israel. Concerns…

The four British families suing TikTok for the alleged wrongful deaths of their children have accused the tech giant of having “no compassion”. In an exclusive group interview for BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the parents said they were taking the company to court to try to find out the truth about what happened to their…

Acrobatic catches and thumping hits are why American football fans watch the Super Bowl but for others the non-sporting spectacle is much more interesting. We’ve selected a few things to look out for during the contest between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, which kicks off at 23:30 GMT (18:30 EST) on Sunday, 9 February…

At least 30 people have been reported missing after a landslide in south-western China, according to Chinese state media. The landslide struck Jinping village in Sichuan province at 11:50 local time (03:50 GMT) burying 10 houses and trapping several residents. Two people were rescued. A command centre has been set up at the scene according to a…

The parents of two of the girls murdered at a dance class in Southport have spoken of the moment they were told “something awful has happened” to their children. In an interview with The Sunday Times, the parents of Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe paid tribute to their daughters, while recalling what happened on 29 July…

Apple has reportedly been ordered by the UK government to allow it access to encrypted data stored by the company’s users worldwide in its cloud service. At the moment, only the Apple account holder can access such data – not even the US technology giant can see it. Apple, which makes iPhones, iPads and iMacs, has been…

At St Jude children’s research hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, an unusual clinical trial is under way that, if successful, could have wider ramifications for the vast field of age-related chronic diseases. At first glance, childhood cancer survivors may seem like an unusual population in which to study ageing, but as Greg Armstrong, principal investigator of St Jude’s…

A magnitude 7.6 quake struck the Caribbean Sea late on Saturday evening, US monitoring agencies reported. The earthquake hit at 6:23 p.m. local time (0123 GMT) in the middle of the sea about 130 miles (209 kilometers) off the coast of the Cayman Islands. The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck at a shallow depth…

Billionaire Elon Musk said that he was not interested in purchasing TikTok, the popular short-video app that the United States has been trying to ban over national security concerns with its Chinese owner ByteDance. Musk’s comments, made in late January, were released online Saturday by The WELT Group, a part of the German media company Axel Springer…

In Ghana and Kenya, insecticide and mosquito nets sit in warehouses because U.S. officials haven’t approved urgent anti-malaria campaigns. In Haiti, a group treating HIV patients awaits U.S. permission to dispense medicines that prevent mothers from giving the disease to their children. In Myanmar, where famine looms and the U.S is the single largest aid donor, one…

When Donald Trump’s fortunes took a downturn in the 90s and he needed to raise cash fast, he sailed his 282ft (85m) superyacht, the Trump Princess, to Asia hoping he could attract Japan’s wealthy. It wasn’t the first time the businessman had sought out Japanese buyers or lenders for his projects. In the cut-throat world of New…

The third week of Donald Trump’s second term has been marked by more major action from the US president and his team. From announcing US goals on the future of Gaza and massively slashing the US agency for foreign aid to intervening in a golf dispute and banning transgender women from female sports competitions, Trump, his adviser…

“If the island sinks, I will sink with it,” Delfino Davies says, his smile not fading for a second. There is silence, except for the swish of his broom across the floor of the small museum he runs documenting the life of his community in Panama, the Guna. “Before, you could hear children shouting… music everywhere, neighbours…

As Hong Kong prepares to welcome the Year of the Snake on Wednesday, Chau Ka-ling displays a moving serpent with practiced ease, holding it like a pet in her decades-old restaurant in the city. As one of the last keepers of the city’s traditional snake soup industry, Chau saves three live snakes for occasional display in wooden…

A new Netflix miniseries tells the story of an Australian influencer who lied about having a terminal illness to promote alternative therapies. A decade on, it remains a warning. Back in 2013, a remarkable, against-all-odds story of survival hit the headlines when a young woman launched what would become a best-selling wellness app with advice on how…

Hamas has released the names of three Israeli hostages it says it will release today in the fifth such swap of a fragile ceasefire in Gaza. The hostages are Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy, Hamas armed wing spokesperson Abu Obeida said in a Telegram post. An Israeli official confirmed Israel had received the three…

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told Donald Trump “let’s do a deal” as he offered the US a partnership over Ukraine’s stores of rare earth and minerals. Earlier this week, Mr Trump said he wanted Ukraine to supply the US with critical resources in exchange for financial support in its war with Russia. In an interview with Reuters on…

RESCUERS searching for a missing plane that vanished off the coast of Alaska have found an aircraft matching its description, with all its passengers dead. A frantic search was launched after the Bering Air flight vanished over the ocean near the infamous Alaska Triangle, an area where more than 20,000 people have reportedly disappeared. The Cessna Caravan,…

A coalition of mostly Democratic-led U.S. states filed a lawsuit on Friday to stop a Trump administration panel led by billionaire Elon Musk from accessing government systems used to process trillions of dollars in payments. The 19 states led by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, claim Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency…

More than six million people could die from HIV and AIDS in the next four years if U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration pulls its global funding for programmes, the United Nations AIDS agency said on Friday. Although a waiver was placed on HIV/AIDS programmes in last month’s U.S. foreign aid funding freeze, many concerns remained about the…

French prosecutors said on Friday they have opened an investigation into Elon Musk’s X social media platform over alleged algorithmic bias. News of the probe comes just days before a major AI summit in Paris, which is due to host global leaders including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as…

China has hit back at the United States, accusing it of “coercion” after Panama decided not to renew an important infrastructure agreement with Beijing. This move came in the wake of a threat from Washington DC to reclaim the Panama Canal. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference that China “firmly opposes the U.S.…

A19-year-old with a concerning “hacker” background known online as “Big Balls” is working as part of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). One former FBI agent has said he would not have recommended Edward Coristine for government work, knowing his work experience to date. Newsweek contacted Elon Musk via Twitter for comment on how Coristine was…

The U.S. is full of contradictions worth exploring, according to a comprehensive new report on the state of national well-being. “We are a nation of extremes—extreme successes and extreme failures,” according to the State of the Nation Project’s annual progress report released this month. “Our national trends are improving in more areas than we are declining. However,…

Agents at Immigration and Customs Enforcement are under increasing pressure to boost the number of arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants, as President Donald Trump has expressed anger that the amount of people deported in the first weeks of his administration is not higher, according to three sources familiar with the discussions at ICE and the White…

Kanye West has seemingly called out Elon Musk out on his own social media platform. The 47-year-old rapper stormed to X, formally Twitter, famously owned by the Tesla CEO and fumed, “ELON STOLE MY NAZI SWAG AT THE INAUGURATION YOOOO MY GUY GET YOUR OWN THIRD RALE.” Kanye was likely referring to Elon’s controversial gesture at Donald…

Sweden’s government has announced plans to tighten gun laws in the wake of the worst mass shooting the country’s history. Seven women and four men between 28 and 68 died in the attack, police said, including the gunman, who killed himself. Named widely in Swedish media as 35-year-old Rickard Andersson, the suspect had four legally owned rifles,…

Indians are the main beneficiaries of H-1B visas, which draw the best of talent and brains from across the world to the US. Highly skilled professionals from India walk away with the overwhelming number of H-1B visas – which is Congressional mandated 65,0000 every year and another 20,000 for those who received higher education from the US.…

Hate symbols and terror offences will be punishable with mandatory jail terms ranging from one to six years in Australia, after parliament passed a series of amendments to hate crime laws on Thursday. The new laws were passed following a wave of high-profile antisemitic attacks which have become a major topic of debate in the country. The…

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel, a close U.S. ally. Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member of or recognizes the court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes over his military response…

Brazilian students returned to class this week with a new task: staying away from their smartphones as a new law restricting their use in schools took effect. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a bill in January limiting smartphone access at schools, in line with a trend seen in the U.S. and Europe. It applies to…

Greece’s authorities have declared a state of emergency on Santorini after a series of earthquakes shook the popular tourist destination. More than 10,000 residents and workers fled the island this week as near-constant tremors and undersea earthquakes have been recorded between Santorini and the islands of Amorgos, Anafi and Ios. A 5.2 magnitude quake struck on Wednesday…

Donald Trump has said Gaza will be “turned over” to the United States by Israel as he doubled down on his plan for America to “own” the Palestinian territory. The US president attracted global condemnation on Tuesday when he said his country would take over Gaza and develop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. Speaking…

The NCAA, the governing body for collegiate sports in the United States, banned transgender women from competing in women’s sports effective immediately on Thursday, aligning itself with U.S. President Donald Trump. The policy change came one day after Trump signed an executive order attempting to exclude transgender girls and women from female sports, a directive that supporters…

The Trump administration’s effort to slash and reshape American foreign aid is crippling the intricate global system that aims to prevent and respond to famine. Struggling to manage hunger crises sweeping the developing world even before U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, the international famine monitoring and relief system has suffered multiple blows from…

The Trump administration move to stop low-cost imports entering the U.S. tariff-free is likely to hit fast fashion retailer Shein harder than online dollar-store Temu, thanks to Temu’s wider product range and moves to change its shipping strategy. Both sites grew exponentially in the U.S. in recent years helped by the so-called de minimis rule, a measure…

Dashing as he may seem, Mickey 17 star Robert Pattinson insists he’s rather accident-prone. As we speak to him from Boston, on the set of his upcoming film The Drama, he notes that he can’t move his neck because of a recent workout injury. “I don’t understand why my neck hurts because I was doing a leg…

A federal judge has barred the US Treasury from handing data from its payments system to outsiders, in an early legal blow to Elon Musk’s crusade to slash government spending. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly put the temporary order in place after Musk boasted that his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) was “rapidly shutting down” Treasury…

The emergence of X owner Elon Musk as the most influential figure around President Donald Trump has created an extraordinary dynamic — a White House adviser who’s using one of the world’s most powerful information platforms to sell the government’s talking points while intimidating its detractors. In recent days, Musk has used X to promote Trump’s positions…

CBS’ “60 Minutes” posted online Wednesday the unedited transcripts of its October interview with Kamala Harris that sparked a lawsuit by Donald Trump, saying that they proved its broadcast was not “doctored or deceitful.” That’s what Trump contended in a $10 billion lawsuit he filed against the network in November, reportedly the subject of ongoing settlement talks.…

A British woman has died on holiday in Sri Lanka after a room in her hostel was fumigated for bed bugs, local police said. Ebony McIntosh, 24, from Derby, was taken to hospital in the capital Colombo on Saturday after becoming ill. She had reportedly suffered vomiting, nausea and breathing difficulties – but died there hours later.…

Reddit has temporarily banned one of its communities – and removed another – after X owner Elon Musk claimed comments made by the site’s users about his employees were breaking the law. The r/WhitePeopleTwitter subreddit, which typically invites people to share funny posts from X, has been banned for 72 hours after some users posted comments calling…

A US lawmaker has slammed Putin’s state television for ‘publishing naked photos of Melania Trump’. The remarks, made by Republican Representative Joe Wilson, occurred during a session in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. In a fiery speech condemning America’s adversaries, Rep Joe Wilson said: “War criminal Putin has ignored peace initiatives with record rocket attacks on…

Google parent company Alphabet has stopped making diversity and inclusion a workplace priority, according to a filing Wednesday with US regulators. The internet giant’s annual 10-K report, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), no longer contained a commitment to workplace inclusion and diversity that had been there the prior year. “At Alphabet, we are committed…

Liam Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, is reflecting on the late One Direction member’s “tragic” death in her first sit-down since he passed away in October 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. “It still doesn’t feel fully real for me that he’s not here,” the influencer told the Sun Wednesday. “I’m trying to be the…

Police in the US state of Pennsylvania on Wednesday were searching for clues and leads to identify the thieves who stole 100,000 organic eggs four days ago. A bird flu outbreak in the US has forced farmers to euthanize millions of chickens a month, pushing egg prices to more than double their cost in the summer of…

Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning trans women athletes from competing in female sports. The move is designed to prevent people who were biologically assigned male at birth from participating in certain sporting events, including those at school. The order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”, will call for “immediate enforcement” against schools and…

The Panama Canal Authority on Wednesday denied the U.S. State Department’s claim that U.S. government vessels would be able to cross the canal without paying fees, likely ratcheting up tensions after President Donald Trump threatened to take back control of the crossing. The canal authority, an autonomous agency overseen by the Panamanian government, said in a statement…

U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision of a Gaza Strip cleared of its Palestinian inhabitants and redeveloped into an international beach resort under U.S. control has revived an idea floated by his son-in-law Jared Kushner a year ago. The idea, outlined by Trump in a press conference on Tuesday, has drawn shocked reactions from both Palestinians and Western…

South Korea’s industry ministry has temporarily blocked employee access to Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek due to security concerns, a ministry official said on Wednesday, as the government urges caution on generative AI services. The government issued a notice on Tuesday calling for ministries and agencies to exercise caution about using AI services including DeepSeek and ChatGPT…

Earthquakes rattled Greece’s volcanic island of Santorini every few minutes overnight and into Wednesday as authorities bolstered emergency plans in case the hundreds of temblors over the past few days are a harbinger of a larger quake to come. A coast guard vessel and a military landing craft were in the wider area in case an evacuation…

London’s skyline has a dazzling new jewel—one that offers breathtaking views, exquisite design, and a dining experience unlike any other. Gordon Ramsay Restaurants has unveiled its most ambitious project yet, with five exceptional destinations at 22 Bishopsgate, including the tallest restaurant in London—Lucky Cat. Designed by the acclaimed Russell Sage Studio, this elevated Pan-Asian haven seamlessly blends…

United States President Donald Trump has started acting on the promises he made during his election campaign – with a mass deportation of illegal immigrants to different countries, including India, currently underway. On Tuesday, a US military plane began deporting Indian migrants, implementing Trump’s hardline stance against an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in America. “When I…

In talks with China’s leadership this week, including President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is expected to emphasize that Thailand is on board with increasing security and doing more to make Chinese tourists feel safe. China is Thailand’s top trading partner, and its biggest inbound tourism market. But a recent high-profile abduction of a Chinese actor…

China on Tuesday said it would probe US tech giant Google over violations of anti-monopoly laws after Washington slapped 10 percent levies on Chinese goods. Beijing’s State Administration for Market Regulation said the US tech giant was “suspected of violating the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People’s Republic of China”. It has “launched an investigation into Google in…

\ The US Postal Service (USPS) says it has stopped accepting parcels from mainland China and Hong Kong until further notice. Letters will not be affected by the suspension, according to a statement on the company’s website. USPS did not offer a reason for the decision but it comes after US President Donald Trump imposed an additional…

Thousands of people have fled the island of Santorini as hundreds of quakes continued to course through the famous Greek tourist destination. More than 6,000 residents have left the island in recent days, according to Greek public broadcaster ERT. Early Tuesday morning, hundreds of people carrying their belongings were seen waiting at a port on the island,…

A 25-year-old engineer named Marko Elez, who previously worked for two Elon Musk companies, has direct access to Treasury Department systems responsible for nearly all payments made by the US government, three sources tell WIRED. Two of those sources say that Elez’s privileges include the ability not just to read but to write code on two of…

SPACE debris raining down on Earth is increasingly at risk of causing “catastrophic” collisions with aircraft, a damning new report has revealed. A sharp rise in the number of rocket launches has fuelled uncontrolled reentries of space debris – chunks of metal and machinery. Controlled reentries of space debris are carefully monitored by space companies and agencies,…

After controversially being granted access to the U.S. Treasury’s payments system, Elon Musk and his nongovernmental team of government spending slashers have now gotten their hands on a federal human resources database containing sensitive data on millions of federal employees. According to a report by Musk Watch journalists Caleb Ecarma and Judd Legum, Musk’s associates at the…

PRESIDENT Donald Trump is to send American criminals to El Salvador’s notorious mega-prisons in a breakthrough migrant deal. In the “extraordinary” offer from President Nayib Bukele, some of the most dangerous thugs residing comfortably in US jails will be sent to El Salvador to serve their time. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Bukele agreed to…

THE proportion of people diagnosed with lung cancer who’ve never smoked is increasing, the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed. New research highlights air pollution as a growing factor in the increasing number of lung cancer cases worldwide. Lung cancer in people who’ve never smoked is now the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, according to…

The US will take over Gaza and “own it”, Donald Trump has said. Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, he said the two million Palestinian people living in the territory, which he described as a “demolition site”, would go to “various domains”. Asked about deploying US troops to fill a potential security…

Donald Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran – as he threatened Tehran it would be “obliterated” if it assassinates him. The US president signed a memorandum on Tuesday in an effort to crack down on Iran’s nuclear programme and restrict oil exports – moments before he met Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mr Trump…

China’s stocks and currency came under pressure as markets returning from a week-long break were greeted by a fresh trade dispute with the United States and ructions in the global artificial intelligence sector. Tariffs so far have been less than what the Trump administration had initially indicated and relief was evident in Hong Kong, where Chinese stocks…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke to Elon Musk on the subject of misinformation about South Africa, the presidency said on Tuesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would suspend aid to the country over its land reform policy. Trump on Sunday accused South Africa of confiscating land and badly treating “certain classes of people”. Ramaphosa…

The Aga Khan, known for his triumphs in horse racing, dazzling wealth and development work around the world, has died in Lisbon at the age of 88, according to the Aga Khan Development Network on X. The announcement of his designated successor will follow, the network said. The 49th hereditary imam or spiritual leader of the world’s…

Eleven people were killed in a shooting at an adult education centre on Tuesday, Swedish police said, marking the country’s deadliest gun attack in what the prime minister called a “painful day.” Police said the gunman was believed to be among those killed and a search for other possible victims was continuing at the school, located in…

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday appeared to pass her biggest test yet on the world stage by winning breathing room from U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs, which risked ramming a wrecking ball through Mexico’s economy. Some politicians and analysts commended the Mexican leader’s measured public tone and apparent ability to blunt Trump’s charge after she…

U.S. President Donald Trump suspended his threat of steep tariffs on Mexico and Canada on Monday, agreeing to a 30-day pause in return for concessions on border and crime enforcement with the two neighboring countries. U.S. tariffs on China are still due to take effect within hours. Both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia…

A U.S. military plane is deporting migrants to India, a U.S. official said on Monday, the farthest destination of the Trump administration’s military transport flights for migrants. President Donald Trump has increasingly turned to the military to help carry out his immigration agenda, including sending additional troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, using military aircraft to deport migrants…

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday ordering the creation of a sovereign wealth fund within the next year, saying it could potentially buy the short video app TikTok. If created, the sovereign wealth fund could place the U.S. alongside numerous other countries, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, that have launched similar…

The executive producer of “60 Minutes” remains defiant and CBS News’ parent company mulls settling a lawsuit waged by President Donald Trump. Bill Owens, who has led the long-running program since 2019, took a tough stance against Trump during a Monday staff meeting, according to The New York Times. “There have been reports in the media about…

Spain forward Jenni Hermoso testified at Luis Rubiales’ trial on Monday that she did not consent to being kissed by the country’s former top soccer official after winning the 2023 Women’s World Cup. On the first day of Rubiales’ trial, Hermoso also said she felt coerced to publicly exonerate the former president of Spain’s Football Federation after…

A Chinese tour operator has opened bookings for trips to a city in North Korea’s northeast to celebrate former leader Kim Jong Il’s birthday. The tour would offer foreign tourists the first chance to visit North Korea since the COVID pandemic. Lavish celebrations for Kim Jong Il’s birthday Beijing-based travel agency Koryo Tours said the tours, scheduled…

If China is angry at the United States for imposing an extra 10% tariff on all Chinese goods, it is doing a good job of hiding it. Both Canada and Mexico vowed to retaliate and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country “will not back down” as he announced a 25% levy on more than $100bn…

The Sims was never supposed to be a hit. Back in the 1990s, when creator Will Wright pitched the game to his bosses, they weren’t convinced by his idea of a “virtual dollhouse”. A so-called life simulator where players design their own characters, give them personalities and tend to their needs. Who wants that? Quite a lot…

Dubai is continuing to strengthen its position as a global luxury real estate hub with the introduction of new $100 million mansions aimed at attracting the world’s ultra-wealthy buyers. These high-end properties, designed with a blend of opulence and cutting-edge technology, offer unparalleled luxury and exclusivity, reinforcing the city’s appeal among high-net-worth individuals seeking a lavish lifestyle…