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China's population drops for a second straight year as deaths jump

Last year 9.02 million babies were born in China, down by 5.6 per cent from 9.56 million in 2022 amid the plummeting interest in couples having children, data shows

China's economy expanded 5.2% in 2023, though recovery seems uneven

Fixed-asset investment spending on factory equipment, construction and other infrastructure projects to drive growth grew 3 per cent year on year in 2023

Finn Allen slams record-equaling 16 sixes; NZ beat PAK in 3rd T20

Allen equaled the world record set by Hazratullah Zazai of Afghanistan of 16 sixes in a T20 international innings and posted the highest score by a New Zealander in T20 internationals

US, S Korea and Japan conduct naval drills as tensions deepen with N Korea

The training in waters off South Korea's Jeju island came as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues a provocative run in weapons testing and threats that has raised regional tensions

Trump lawyers foreshadow lines of defence in classified documents case

The defence team also said in a wide-ranging court filing that they are seeking communication between the Justice Department prosecution team and associates of President Joe Biden

Boeing picks retired admiral to lead team for safety review of planes

Boeing 737 and 787 jets have been plagued in recent years by several manufacturing problems that have interrupted delivery of new planes to airlines

Russia's attacks on Ukraine increased civilian casualties in Dec: UN

"Civilian casualties had been steadily decreasing in 2023 but the wave of attacks in late December and early January violently interrupted that trend," says the UN

Biden invites congressional leaders during difficult talks on Ukraine aid

A bipartisan group of negotiators in the Senate has been working for weeks to find an agreement that would provide wartime money for Ukraine and Israel

JetBlue's buyout of Spirit Airlines blocked over threat to competition

The New York carrier argued that it needs the deal to compete better against bigger rivals that dominate the US air-travel market

Trump WH official Navarro loses bid for new contempt of Congress trial

Jurors only interacted with one another and the court officer who accompanied them, no one approached the jurors and "there were no activities resembling a protest", the judge wrote

Trial begins to determine how much Trump owes for calling rape accuser liar

Trump did not attend the previous trial in the case last May, when a jury found he had sexually abused Carroll and awarded her $5 million in damages

Republicans halt plan to hold Hunter Biden in contempt for defying subpoena

The move comes days after an attorney for President Joe Biden's son indicated a willingness to cooperate with Republicans' ongoing impeachment inquiry following months of defiance

Biden administration to relist Houthis as specially designated terrorists

In its waning days, the Trump administration designated the Houthis a Foreign Terrorist Organization over the strong objections of human rights and humanitarian aid groups

Macron seeks to refresh his presidency, says country has 'aces' to succeed

Now, Macron is hoping to hit reset and make a fresh start in a year when France will be in the global spotlight as host of the Summer Olympics in Paris

US strikes Yemen-based Houthis again, hits anti-ship missiles: Official

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors incidents in the Mideast's waterways, earlier acknowledged an attack in the vicinity of the Zografia

Messi edges Haaland in tiebreaker for FIFA's best men's player award

The Argentina star needed a tiebreaker with Erling Haaland to win FIFA's best men's player prize on Monday

Ex-Prez Trump arrives at defamation trial over columnist's sex abuse claims

One issue that wasn't decided in that first trial was how much Trump owed for comments he made about Carroll while he was still president

US SC allows court order to take effect potentially costing Apple billions

The justices rejected Apple's appeal of lower-court rulings that found some of Apple's app store rules for apps purchased on more than 1 bn iPhones constitute unfair competition under California law

At Davos, Zelenskyy lashes out at Putin, urges support for Ukraine's fight

Zelenskyy is endeavoring to keep his country's long and largely stalemated defense against Russia on the minds of political leaders

Alcaraz overpowers Gasquet to win first Australian Open match since 2022

After taking an hour and 12 minutes to clinch the opener in a tie-breaker, Alcaraz raced through the rest of the match against the tiring, sweat-soaked Frenchman for a 7-6 (5), 6-1, 6-2 win