
India's Modi takes ritual dip at Hindu mega-festival

Nissan shares fall as reports say Honda merger talks off

US Postal Service says suspending parcels from China

Toyota announces Lexus EV plant in Shanghai
Economy
Santander reports record profit for third straight year
Spanish banking giant Santander announced record annual profits for a third consecutive year on Wednesday as a strong commercial performance offset the impact of falling interest rates.
Culture
No new clothes: S. Korean climate activist targets hyperconsumption
Recovering South Korean shopaholic-turned-climate activist Lee So-yeon used to buy new clothes almost daily -- until a $1.50 winter coat triggered an awakening that stopped her shopping entirely.
Last news

Cummins 'hugely unlikely' for Australia's Champions Trophy bid
Australia captain Pat Cummins is "hugely unlikely" for the Champions Trophy because of injury while fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood is also a doubt, coach Andrew McDonald said Wednesday.

Nissan shares plunge as report says Honda merger talks off
Nissan shares plunged on Wednesday after Japan's Nikkei business daily said the carmaker had decided to withdraw from merger talks with rival Honda.

China holds out hope last-minute deal can avert US trade war
China's new tariffs on US imports like oil, coal and cars are relatively modest in scale, suggesting that Beijing is hoping for a last-minute deal but also giving them the option to inflict more pain if needed, analysts say.

LeBron relishing 'special' Doncic double act
LeBron James said Tuesday he is relishing the prospect of joining forces with Luka Doncic at the Los Angeles Lakers following the shock deal which has stunned the basketball world.

Tatum shines as Celtics down Cavs, Lakers thrash Clippers
Jayson Tatum scored 22 points as the Boston Celtics laid down a postseason marker against the high-flying Cleveland Cavaliers with a 112-105 victory on the road on Tuesday.

Myanmar junta bid to sell Suu Kyi mansion flops for third time
Myanmar's junta failed in its attempt to auction Aung San Suu Kyi's lakeside mansion on Wednesday, with no bids submitted for the former democracy leader's home -- the third time the sale has flopped.

Australia bans DeepSeek AI program on government devices
Australia has banned DeepSeek from all government devices on the advice of security agencies, a top official said Wednesday, citing privacy and malware risks posed by China's breakout AI program.

Olympics on horizon as China hosts Asian Winter Games
China will welcome a mix of world-class athletes and relative novices from desert and tropical nations when the Asian Winter Games open in the city of Harbin on Friday.

Tatum, White shine as Celtics down Cavs
Jayson Tatum scored 22 points as the Boston Celtics laid down a postseason marker against the high-flying Cleveland Cavaliers with a 112-105 victory on the road on Tuesday.

Google pledge against using AI for weapons vanishes
Google on Tuesday updated its principles when it comes to artificial intelligence, removing vows not to use the technology for weapons or surveillance.

African football has the platform for historic World Cup success
Africa could break the glass ceiling of winning the World Cup in the next 10 years, partly thanks to a platform highlighting to foreign clubs the most talented youth from the continent, the co-founder has boldly claimed to AFP.

France prop Gros happy to go 'under radar' for Dupont's benefit
France's hopes of a rare away win over England on Saturday in the Six Nations will hinge on the impact of superstar scrum-half Antoine Dupont.

Bove's future uncertain after heart attack horror as Fiorentina finish Inter clash
Edoardo Bove and Fiorentina will relive Italian football's most harrowing episode of recent years on Thursday when the Viola complete their home match with Inter Milan, which was interrupted in December when the midfielder suffered a heart attack on the pitch.

Race against time to complete contested Milan-Cortina bobsleigh track
With a year to go until the start of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, organisers are racing against time to ensure the sliding events are held in Italy and not moved over 6,000 kilometres away to Lake Placid.

Speed queen Goggia pursuing Olympic dreams with 2026 Winter Games on horizon
Sofia Goggia is hunting more Winter Olympic success as the one-year-to-go countdown begins for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games, where the Italian skiing star will be one of the favourites for gold on home snow.

Asian markets stutter as traders weigh China-US trade flare-up
Asian markets stumbled Wednesday and gold hit a new record as investors kept tabs on China and the United States after they exchanged tariffs, sparking fears of another debilitating trade war between the economic superpowers.

French PM set to survive no confidence vote
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is expected on Wednesday to survive a no-confidence vote in parliament, winning some breathing space after less than two months in office but by no means ensuring his long-term future.

Trump says US will take over Gaza, create 'Riviera of the Middle East'
President Donald Trump revealed an extraordinary plan Tuesday for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip, resettle Palestinians in other countries -- seemingly whether they wanted to leave or not -- and turn the territory into "the Riviera of the Middle East."

Google shares slide on spending plans despite sales jump
Google's parent company Alphabet on Tuesday reported revenue jumped in the recently-ended quarter, but shares sank on concerns it may be pouring too much money into artificial intelligence.

Honda shares jump on reports it wants Nissan as subsidiary
Honda shares surged in Tokyo on Wednesday as Japanese media said the automaker had proposed making its struggling rival Nissan a subsidiary -- with some reports saying the move could spell the end of their merger talks.

Trump says US will 'take over' Gaza as he welcomes Netanyahu
President Donald Trump made an extraordinary proposal for the United States to "take over" the Gaza Strip, as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for crucial talks on the truce with Hamas.

Blackbox Press Event and Regional Government Roundtable
It being our first event, we began by explaining Blackbox's mission statement and the social context that led to our launch. General Manager Taiki Iwasaki talked about the growing support for startups - especially foreign startups - in Japan over the last few years.

Netflix drops 'Emilia Perez' star Oscar bid over offensive posts: reports
Netflix has dropped Karla Sofia Gascon, the star of "Emilia Perez," from its high-profile Oscars campaign and distanced itself from the best actress nominee over her offensive social media posts, Hollywood trade outlets reported Tuesday.

Sirianni embraces emotions ahead of Chiefs rematch
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has never been afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve and ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs, he is embracing the emotions of the occasion.

Top climate scientist declares 2C climate goal 'dead'
Holding long-term global warming to two degrees Celsius -- the fallback target of the Paris climate accord -- is now "impossible," according to a stark new analysis published by leading scientists.

US Treasury says Musk team has 'read-only' access to payments data
The US Treasury said Tuesday that Elon Musk's government reform team can read data from its highly sensitive payment system but not alter it, after Democratic lawmakers raised the alarm over the move and called for an investigation.

Leaders 'should respect' wishes of Palestinians to stay in Gaza: Palestinian UN envoy
World leaders and people should respect Palestinians' desire to remain in Gaza, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations said Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump said he believed people from the territory should be resettled elsewhere "permanently."

Paris Saint-Germain, Brest, Dunkerque advance to French Cup last eight
Paris Saint-Germain eased into the French Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Le Mans as Dunkerque shocked Lille on penalties and Brest earned a last-gasp 2-1 win over Troyes.

Simeone brace helps Atletico thrash Getafe, reach Copa del Rey semis
Giuliano Simeone struck twice as Atletico Madrid thrashed Getafe 5-0 on Tuesday to power into the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Trump hosts Netanyahu for pivotal Gaza ceasefire talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Donald Trump at the White House Tuesday for crucial talks on the truce with Hamas, as the US president suggested permanently resettling Palestinians from war-battered Gaza.

Atletico thrash Getafe to reach Copa del Rey semis
Giuliano Simeone struck twice as Atletico Madrid thrashed Getafe 5-0 on Tuesday to power into the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Stocks recover but tariff uncertainty lingers over market
Stock markets managed to push higher on Tuesday but investors braced for volatility as President Donald Trump pressed on with tariffs against China after delaying duties on Mexican and Canadian imports.

Shiffrin to sit out world team combined, dashing Vonn hopes
Lindsey Vonn's dream of competing in the team combined event with Mikaela Shiffrin at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach ran aground Tuesday when the latter ruled herself out of the event.

Mahomes avoids 'G.O.A.T' talk as history beckons
Patrick Mahomes will enter the NFL history books with an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl win on Sunday but the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is in no mood for legacy talk.

Undav sends Stuttgart into German Cup final four
A 29th-minute goal from Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav was enough for a 1-0 home win over Augsburg on Tuesday, sending them through to the German Cup semi-finals.

Alcaraz battles through in first match since Australian Open
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz battled through against local hero Botic van de Zandschulp at the Rotterdam Open on Tuesday, his first match since quarter-final heartbreak at the Australian Open.

Trump backs jailing Americans in El Salvador if has 'legal right'
President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed an offer by El Salvador to take in prisoners -- including US citizens -- despite clear legal problems with such an outsourcing under American law.

What Elon Musk's Twitter tactics may bode for US government
As Elon Musk and his aides take control of the US Treasury's payments system, the drastic job cuts and other shake-ups he instituted on buying Twitter may offer a preview of what government workers can expect.

Trump signs order withdrawing US from UN bodies
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order withdrawing Washington from a number of United Nations bodies, including its Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and setting up a broader review of US funding for the multilateral organization.