The U.S. said Wednesday it will pause issuing immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries over concerns that they may use public assistance in the future.

Former U.S. special forces officer Gene Yu is now the co-founder and CEO of cybersecurity startup Blackpanda. The company has raised about $22 million to date.

Iran temporarily closed most of its airspace late Wednesday, forcing airlines to reroute flights as tensions with the United States escalated.

Follow updates live Stunned Albanese says Coalition ‘playing politics’ as Ley calls hate speech reforms ‘pretty unsalvageable’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Iranian Australians left distraught with no confirmation their family is safe Almost a week into Iran’s communication blackout, Iranian Australian activist Mohammad Hashemi received a call from his home country. When I heard the stories, what happened to people, I was crying about the situation and what’s going…

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has called on businesses to improve services for elderly customers after receiving more than 9,200 complaints in the past three years, including a woman who spent HK$400,000 (US$51,294) on beauty treatments.

The Consumer Council said on Thursday that improving services for seniors would help boost the spending potential of the “silver economy”, a priority for the city’s government amid a rapidly ageing population.

“The council urges traders to review their sales...

Ukraine struggles to restore heat, electricity as temperatures plummet to -19 degrees Celsius.

US president says ‘important sources’ told him executions not going ahead. This blog is now closed For the first time in days, Iranians were able to make calls abroad from their mobiles on Tuesday, according to reporting by Associated Press. Texting services have not been restored, however, and nor has the internet. Although Iranians were able to call abroad, they could not receive calls from outside the country, several people in the capital told Associated Press. The internet remained blocked,…

Flight tracking websites showed aircraft skirting around the country and Iranian airspace almost empty of civilian airplanes.

In a statement, Trip.com said it would "actively cooperate" with the investigation, and added its business operations remain normal.

China’s military says it is using quantum technology to gather high-value military intelligence from public cyberspace.

The People’s Liberation Army said more than 10 experimental quantum cyber warfare tools were “under development”, many of which were being “tested in front-line missions”, according to the official newspaper Science and Technology Daily.

The project is being led by a supercomputing laboratory at the National University of Defence Technology, according to the report, with a...

Toyota Motor sweetened the tender offer price for buying out the carmaker by more than 15% to over $35 billion.

Some personnel have been asked to depart the United States’ Al Udeid military base in Qatar, two diplomatic sources told AFP on Wednesday, with the Gulf state saying “regional tensions” were behind the move.

The airspace closure came as some personnel at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate.

Iran on Thursday ordered the closure of its airspace to commercial aircraft without explanation as tensions remained high with the US over Tehran's crackdown on nationwide protests.

Elon Musk’s AI company xAI has imposed limits on its Grok chatbot’s image editing capabilities after hyper-realistic sexualised images — including depictions of minors — circulated online. The restrictions apply to all users, including paid subscribers, and block image generation in jurisdictions where such content is illegal.

Sania Blanchard and Jordan Lantry boarded the aircraft while intoxicated and wrongfully occupied first-class seats that were not theirs.

January 15 has a rare mix of meanings. In South Asia, it sits in the heart of the harvest-and-sun season, when communities mark longer days with food, kites, and rituals that connect farming, faith, and family. In India, it is also Army Day, a fixed civic date that signals the handover of military leadership to […]

The post On This Day: January 15 – History, Famous Birthdays, Deaths & Global Events appeared first on Editorialge .

Police believe no one hurt but urge public not to pick up explosive devices and say more may be found Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Nearly a dozen pipe bombs, some of them already detonated, have been found on footpaths and in parks in the nation’s capital, sparking a major police investigation and warnings not to touch the potentially explosive items. ACT police Det Acting Insp Anna Wronski could not say where…

X's safety account said in a social media post that no users will be able to create sexualized images of real people using Grok.

Founder of ICE List believes the ‘sophisticated’ cyberattack could have originated in Russia

Verizon experienced a widespread outage on Wednesday, affecting mobile and data services for tens of thousands of customers across the United States. Users reported "SOS" messages on their devices as the disruption began just after noon and persisted into the evening. Verizon acknowledged the issue, stating engineering teams were actively working to restore connectivity as quickly as possible.

The announcement that BTS will return to Malaysia after more than a decade has sent K-pop fans into a frenzy, with many calling it a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

The South Korean supergroup will stage two concerts in Kuala Lumpur on December 12 and 13, marking its first appearance in the country since 2015, when it performed its Red Bullet Tour at Mega Star Arena.

This will also be BTS’ first-ever concert in Kuala Lumpur as its previous Malaysia performance was held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

For...

X announced the policy update the same day the state of California launched probe into allegations of nonconsensual AI-generated explicit images on the platform

Hong Kong and Shenzhen can work closely to empower finance with artificial intelligence, delegates said on Thursday at the China Conference: Greater Bay Area, an event hosted by the South China Morning Post.

Joseph Chan Ho-lim, undersecretary for Financial Services and the Treasury in the Hong Kong government, said Hong Kong and Shenzhen were seeking deeper cooperation between finance and technology.

Chan said at the event in Qianhai, a bonded zone in Shenzhen, that Hong Kong, as a...

Elon Musk’s platform X on Wednesday announced measures to prevent its AI chatbot Grok from undressing images of real people, following global backlash over its generation of sexualised photos of women and children.

The announcement comes after California’s attorney general launched an investigation into Musk’s xAI - the developer of Grok - over the sexually explicit material and multiple countries either blocked access to the chatbot or launched their own probes.

X said it will “geoblock the...

Canadian leader's visit comes after nearly a decade of strained ties between Ottawa and Beijing.

Apology comes as former Adelaide festival board member accuses Louise Adler of hypocrisy after she resigned citing free speech concerns Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The new Adelaide festival board has issued a public apology to Palestinian Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah, and has promised she will be invited to Adelaide writers’ week in 2027. Abdel-Fattah immediately accepted the apology, posting on Ins…

Amid global backlash, billionaire had only hours earlier said he was not aware of any ‘naked underage images’ Elon Musk’s xAI has announced it will block the ability of its Grok AI tool to alter images of real people to put them in “revealing clothing such as bikinis”, amid a global backlash over the tool being used to generate explicit imagery. The move came just hours after the billionaire said he was was not aware of any “naked underage images” made by Grok. Continue reading...

NASA carried out its first medical evacuation from the International Space Station after an astronaut required care, bringing four crew members back to Earth earlier than planned. The early return temporarily reduces the station crew, limiting spacewalks until a replacement team arrives.

Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed as investors assessed the latest policy decision coming out of the Bank of Korea.

Expert prepper shares five critical survival steps for nuclear attacks, from drop-and-cover techniques to decontamination methods and the conditioner danger

Opposition leader says government took ‘a month to deliver this bad bill’ as Labor criticises Liberal ‘hypocrisy’ on proposed hate laws Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has said the Albanese government’s proposed hate speech and anti-vilification legislation appears “pretty unsalvageable” and rejected suggestions of hypocrisy by the Coalition after weeks of calls for new laws to …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday claimed that several countries were in talks with Pakistan to acquire its fighter jets following last year's conflict with India.

Recent events in Hong Kong, particularly the tragic blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po last November, have focused society’s attention on reforms to the legal system, especially those concerning building management and maintenance.

Corruption and improper practices in the tendering process for large-scale building renovation or maintenance have also become a hot-button issue.

In response, the government has established an independent committee to uncover the causes of the fire and examine...

“Rural heating problems in Hebei cannot wait any longer” declared a recent report in Farmers’ Daily. It described a disturbing reality in parts of northern China: elderly villagers who would rather shiver through freezing temperatures than turn on their heaters, because they simply cannot afford the cost. For many urban readers, this may sound implausible. For millions of rural elderly, it is routine.

On the surface, the problem appears to be a side effect of China’s well-intentioned...

The document offers new insight into how the administration proceeded with the operation on January 3

Nick Shirley says he received death threats after posting a video about alleged fraud in Minnesota. Brandon Tatum stepped in to help pay for security, saying free speech should not risk lives. Shirley spoke about the threats on major podcasts, sharing how the situation affected his family and daily safety.

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wore matching tracksuits and played the drums together at the end of a two-day summit in Nara, Japan.

The crew returning from the International Space Station are expected to splash down on Thursday evening (AEDT) in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego.

A government-imposed nationwide communications blackout has left Iranians outside the country scrambling to reach family and friends.

The State Department said Wednesday it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff announced the formation of a committee of Palestinian technocrats and the start of “full demilitarization and reconstruction.”

The Liberian man arrested over the weekend after heavily armed immigration agents used a battering ram to break through the front door of his Minneapolis home had been checking in regularly with federal authorities for years, his attorney said

The UK-owned, Canadian-made whisky is testing a united "Team Canada" approach in the face of US tariffs.

In a landmark case in China, two AI chatbot developers have appealed against their convictions on pornography charges over software that generated sexual content for paid users.

The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court began on Wednesday hearing the appeal by the two defendants against an earlier decision by a lower court to sentence one of the developers to four years and the other to 1½ years in prison for “creating pornographic material for profit”.

The hearing has been adjourned,...

Social media in China has been shocked and outraged by a midwife who cut off a newborn baby’s finger when severing his umbilical cord during a caesarean section.

The infant boy was born on the morning of December 25, at Xuyi County People’s Hospital in Jiangsu province, eastern China.

Two hours later, his father was told by doctors that the child’s left middle finger had been snipped by accident during the surgery, the Red Star News reported.

The baby then faced two hospital transfers before...

These are the key developments from day 1,421 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The fight took place at the Nevada Department of Corrections holiday party at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino on December 13, 2025

The products were distributed nationwide, with cases identified in 21 states

Scoot will cancel its flights between Singapore and Jeddah on Thursday (Jan 15) as a precautionary measure.

Elon Musk's platform X on Wednesday announced measures to prevent its AI chatbot Grok from undressing images of real people, following global backlash over its generation of sexualized images of women and children.

Press freedom groups warn that the warrant to search reporter Hannah Natanson's home establishes a dangerous precedent.

Hong Kong lawmaker Duncan Chiu owns 54 properties at home and overseas, more than any of the other 89 lawmakers, a review of their declaration of interests shows.

But Chiu indicated that he is considering selling his properties in the West, citing geopolitical risks and his limited time for managing them.

Chiu, the son of the late entrepreneur Deacon Chiu, represents the technology and innovation sector.

He is among the five lawmakers who have declared ownership of more than 10 properties, and..…

A requirement to set minimum prices for their cars in the European Union will reduce sales there for Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers, but higher profit margins will eventually improve their bottom lines and brand reputations, according to analysts and industry officials.

Assemblers of Chinese pure-electric cars from BYD to Leapmotor will avoid a brutal discount war after European authorities accepted price undertakings to replace punitive anti-subsidy tariffs of up to 35.3 per cent.

Minimum…

THE US government may have bought the mystery weapon behind Havana Syndrome in an undercover operation. The perplexing illness that brings ringing ears, dizziness, crushing headaches and memory loss to its victims has long been unsolved. But, the Biden Administration managed to quietly purchase the device in its final weeks in 2024, a new report...

The bill is a sign of Ocasio-Cortez’s growing influence within the Democratic caucus that once shunned her, writes Eric Garcia

DJ Akademiks and streamer SummyahMarie are in an ongoing online dispute after he accused her of being part of “escort culture.” She denied the claims during a January 10, 2026 livestream and later shared text messages showing she sent him a cease-and-desist letter. Both continue to defend their positions publicly.

The UK is working with allies on further sanctions against the regime in Iran, where thousands of protesters have reportedly been killed in the country in recent weeks

At least 32 people are dead after a construction crane fell onto a passenger train travelling east from Bangkok, in the second incident in a year to hit the same developer.

The restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers, the platform said. 

Morocco overcome Nigeria 4-2 on penalties, after the match finished 0-0 following extra time, to reach AFCON final.

Items worth £59.7m allocated to museums, galleries, libraries and archives as part of Arts Council England scheme Winston Churchill and Benjamin Disraeli’s desk, a painting by Vanessa Bell and a rare artwork by Edgar Degas are among the items of cultural importance saved for the nation this year. The items, worth a total of £59.7m, will be allocated to museums, galleries, libraries and archives around the UK as part of Art Council England’s cultural gifts and acceptance in lieu schemes. Continue…

Pressure mounting for use of glyphosate, listed by WHO since 2015 as probable carcinogen, to be heavily restricted Children are potentially being exposed to the controversial weedkiller glyphosate at playgrounds across the UK, campaigners have said after testing playgrounds in London and the home counties. The World Health Organization has listed glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen since 2015 . However, campaigners say local authorities in the UK are still using thousands of litres of glyp…

Royal College of Nursing publishes dossier of evidence including case of elderly patient who choked to death in corridor Corridor care is “a type of torture” that is leading to patients dying and causing NHS staff to have nightmares, the UK’s nurses union has warned. In one case, an elderly patient choked to death in a corridor, unseen by staff, according to a new dossier of evidence highlighting the problem published by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Continue reading...

Komeito is emerging as a potential political kingmaker in Japan ahead of a widely expected snap lower house election, three months after the party affiliated with a religious movement announced it was ending an alliance with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over differences with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

On January 23, the opening day of the Diet, Takaichi is expected to announce the dissolution of the House of Representatives, with polling likely to take place on February 8 or February.…

Morocco capitalised on home support to stay the course and beat Nigeria on penalties after 120 minutes produced no goals. 



They'll meet 2021 winners Senegal in the final, after the Lions of Teranga beat the Pharaoh's of Egypt 1-0 thanks to Sadio Mané's late strike from range.  



Jean-Émile Jammine is joined by sports journalists, Thando Sibiya and Andrea Evagora as well as France 24's Selina Sykes in Rabat.

Real Madrid's first match after sacking Xabi Alonso results in a shock 3-2 Copa del Rey defeat at lower league Albacete.

Shabana Mahmood has lost confidence in Craig Guildford over his force’s ‘exaggerated and untrue’ intelligence assessments Explainer: What did West Midlands police chief get wrong in decision to ban Maccabi fans? The police chief who used “exaggerated and untrue” intelligence to justify a ban on Israeli football fans was clinging on to his job on Wednesday, despite the home secretary demanding he resign. Craig Guildford, who leads West Midlands police, is determined to stay in his post for now, t…

The future of the NATO alliance is at stake if the US president – who has stepped up his demands for the territory – seeks to take it by force.

Louis Vuitton’s newest Beijing store opened with celebrity buzz but little fanfare, underscoring how luxury brands are cautiously testing signs of a consumer recovery in China.

The British embassy in Tehran has been temporarily closed, the government said on Wednesday. "We have temporarily closed the British Embassy in Tehran, this will now operate

An astronaut in need of doctors’ care departed the International Space Station with three crewmates on Wednesday in Nasa’s first medical evacuation.

The four returning astronauts – from the US, Russia and Japan – are aiming for an early Thursday morning splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego with SpaceX. The decision cuts short their mission by over a month.

“Our timing of this departure is unexpected,” Nasa astronaut Zena Cardman said before the return trip, “but what was not surprising to me…

Hong Kong and mainland Chinese stocks outpaced their US peers for the first two weeks of 2026 and should continue to do so for the rest of the year on the back of relatively cheaper valuations, a firmer yuan and policy tailwinds, as geopolitics drives more global investors to look to China as a hedge against rising risks in US assets, according to analysts.

The CSI 300 Index has gained 2.4 per cent so far this year, while the Hang Seng Index has climbed 5.3 per cent, both outpacing a 1.7 per...

A SpaceX capsule departed the International Space Station on Wednesday carrying a four-member crew on an emergency return flight to Earth necessitated by an unspecified serious medical condition afflicting one of the astronauts aboard.

Canada’s Pacific coast province of British Columbia is ending its three-year experiment in decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs

The 33-year-old dog owner was discovered lifeless in a roadside ditch after being mauled to death by his own American Bulldog - police said it stood over his body when paramedics arrived on scene

The race between the US and China to dominate the world’s artificial intelligence industry has become “complex and challenging to forecast”, according to ChatGPT creator OpenAI.

In a blog post this week, published ahead of the first anniversary of DeepSeek’s release of breakthrough reasoning model R1 on January 20, OpenAI said another “seismic shock” from China could be on the cards, as anticipation heightened about a potential new major release from the Hangzhou-based start-up around the Lunar.…

The lawsuit alleges that the enactment of Bill 356 has caused the death of the trees throughout the Las Vegas Valley

The no-confidence motions aimed to protest the European Union's trade agreement with the MERCOSUR bloc.

Former international forward Samuel Eto'o has been suspended for his alleged behaviour during Cameroon's AFCON exit.

The White House’s top science adviser on Wednesday said that the Biden administration’s decision to get rid of the Justice Department’s China Initiative was “damaging”, though stopped short of recommending that it should be fully brought back.

Asked by Florida Republican Daniel Webster whether the termination of the programme aimed at combating alleged economic espionage from Beijing was detrimental, Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said:…

The decision cuts short their mission by more than a month.

Diplomats from Denmark and Greenland agreed to set up a “high-level working group” after the White House talks, but said there was little consensus so far.

Ynyshir’s Gareth Ward ‘not embarrassed’ by score and says it was due to concerns about the use of raw ingredients The chef behind a Welsh restaurant with two Michelin stars says it has “the highest standards in the world”, despite being given a one-star hygiene rating in a recent inspection. Ynyshir, a restaurant with rooms near Machynlleth on the southern edge of the Eryri national park, has been praised as one of the best in the world. Continue reading...

Police in Rio de Janeiro say they killed four people who attacked security forces during an operation against the Red Command gang