World

UK economy rebounds in November: official data

Britain's recession-threatened economy rebounded in November from the previous month, official data showed on Friday. Gross domestic product expanded 0.3 percent in November after contracting by 0.3 percent in October, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement. "GDP bounced back..., led by services with retail, car leasing and computer games companies all having a buoyant month," noted ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner. "The longer-term picture remains one […]

12 January, 2024

World

Sunak to visit Kyiv Friday to set out new ‘support package’

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will visit Kyiv on Friday to launch "a major new package of support" for Ukraine and increase military funding for this financial year to £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion), his office said. The figure is an increase of 200 million pounds over the last two years and will ensure the "largest ever commitment of drones," a statement said, adding that he was also due to […]

12 January, 2024

World

US and Western allies launch attacks in Yemen

The United States, alongside coalition forces including the UK, have launched air strikes against Houthi-rebel targets in Yemen, marking a major development in a region engulfed by tensions since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. US President Joe Biden says the action was taken because the Iran-backed militants were "endangering freedom of navigation in one of the world's most vital waterways" — a reference to continued Houthi attacks in past […]

12 January, 2024

Health / Medical

In a Fractious Rerun, GOP Rivals Haley and DeSantis Debate Health Care. Trump Sits It Out.

Left: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley debate at an event hosted by CNN in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 10. Right: Former President Donald Trump conducts a town hall hosted by Fox News in Des Moines on the same night. (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES; ALEX WROBLEWSKI / BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES) By KFF Health News and PolitiFact staffs The race to win the quickly approaching Iowa caucuses was […]

12 January, 2024

World

US & UK strike Houthi targets in Yemen

The United States with coalition forces including the UK have begun air strikes against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen. There are fears the attacks could further widen the Middle East conflict that began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th. Nick Harper reports from Washington.

12 January, 2024

World

Japan boosts aid as poor conditions affect quake survivors

Japan’s government is boosting aid to the earthquake struck Ishikawa region as tens of thousands of people remain in evacuation centers. Tokyo is elevating the seriousness of the quake to a ‘disaster of extreme severity’ in order to unlock access to extra funds for the region. Chris Gilbert reports from Tokyo.

12 January, 2024

World

Major boost for Bitcoin after SEC ETF approval

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has approved the first-ever bitcoin exchange-traded funds to come out of the US, a watershed moment for the world's largest cryptocurrency. The agency gave the green light to sponsors of 10 ETFs — including BlackRock, Invesco and Fidelity — that'll track bitcoin prices. Most of the products have already begun trading on Thursday. Benji Hyer explains.

12 January, 2024

Environment

Copernicus: 2023 is the hottest year on record

Global temperatures reached exceptionally high levels in 2023. The Copernicus Climate Change Services, implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on behalf of the European Commission with funding from the EU, monitored several key climate indicators throughout the year, reporting on record-breaking conditions such as the hottest month on record and daily global temperature averages briefly surpassing pre-industrial levels by more than 2°C. Unprecedented global temperatures from June […]

11 January, 2024

World

NASA delays Artemis 2 and 3 missions

NASA is delaying two upcoming missions to the Moon by about a year. The US space agency's Artemis mission aims to return human beings to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. Ira Spitzer has more.

11 January, 2024