World News

India in touch with Iran over consular access for 16 detained sailors

In a statement, the mission said it was informed in mid-December about the detention of the vessel by Iranian authorities, with 16 Indian crew members on board

China cuts US debt holdings to 17-year low, shifts reserves to gold

China holds the world's largest forex reserves totalling $3.3579 trillion at the end of December 2025, according to the official media reports

Elon Musk's X offers $1 million reward for best long-form article

The announcement was made on Saturday by X's Creators account, which said the "top article" of the upcoming payout period would receive the $1 million award

Canada announces $7 billion trade deal with China to boost exports

Canada has agreed to cut its 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, CBS News reported

US to get 50 mn barrels of oil worth $5.2 billion from Venezuela: Trump

After Maduro's capture, Trump had made it clear that Washington would "run" Venezuela during a transition and needs "total access... to the oil and to other things in their country"

US grants Tesla more time to respond in self-driving tech investigation

The investigation covered 2.9 million vehicles, essentially all Teslas equipped with full self-driving technology, or FSD

Musk seeks up to $134 billion from OpenAI, Microsoft in fraud lawsuit

OpenAI has warned investors to expect Musk to make attention-grabbing claims as the legal fight heads to trial

World Bank's Ajay Banga, Marco Rubio named to Trump's Gaza 'Board of Peace'

Trump has called on all parties to cooperate fully with the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the Board of Peace, and the ISF to ensure swift implementation of the plan

National Guard troops to remain in Washington, DC, until year-end

Trump said this month that for now he was dropping his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, which had provoked legal challenges

FAA warns pilots of risks over eastern Pacific, citing 'military activity'

The notices come after nearly four months of US military strikes against boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific that the US alleged were trafficking drugs

Minneapolis protesters win court ruling limiting ICE use of force

US District Judge Katherine Menendez on Friday isssed a temporary injunction limiting when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can deploy chemical irritants into crowds

Trump wants tech giants to fund power for AI data centres; they'd love to

Under Trump's plan, grid operator PJM Interconnection LLC will hold an auction for tech companies to bid on 15-year contracts for new electricity generation capacity

Trump thanks Iran for cancelling executions of political prisoners

The Republican president also suggested on his social media site that more than 800 people had been set to be executed in Iran, but he said they now won't be

First flight with 231 deported Venezuelans from US lands in Caracas

The flight's arrival comes 13 days after Maduro was captured along with his wife, Cilia Flores, during a military intervention in Caracas

Iran protests appear to fade as crackdown deepens, West weighs sanctions

The Group of Seven industrialised democracies and the European Union said they too were looking at new sanctions to ratchet up the pressure on Iran's theocratic government

India driving South Asia as world's brightest growth spot: WEF survey

The report, drawing from consultations and surveys with chief economists from the public and private sectors worldwide, said South Asia has returned to the top of the regional growth outlook

Supreme Court plans rulings for Jan 20 with Trump's tariffs still undecided

The court indicated on its website on Friday that it may release decisions in argued cases next Tuesday when the justices take the bench during a scheduled sitting

Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance witnesses rift ahead of polls in Bangladesh

Jamaat is Bangladesh's largest Islamic political party, while Islami Andolon is presumed to have a huge support base

Canada inks trade truce with China in break from Donald Trump's agenda

PM Mark Carney said he expects China to cut tariffs on Canadian rapeseed after meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday, in the first visit by a Canadian leader to Beijing in eight years

Trump may slap tariffs on countries that don't back his Greenland plans

Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met in Washington this week with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio