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China's November imports, exports plunge owing to Covid rules
China's imports and exports plunged in November to levels not seen since early 2020, as strict Covid restrictions hit the economy hard, according to official figures released Wednesday.
World economy faces more pain in 2023 after a gloomy year
This was supposed to be the comeback year for the world economy following the Covid pandemic.
As AI rises, lawmakers try to catch up
From "intelligent" vacuum cleaners and driverless cars to advanced techniques for diagnosing diseases, artificial intelligence has burrowed its way into every arena of modern life.
Falsehoods plague elections as voters tackle Trumpian tactics
From the United States to Brazil and Israel, a barrage of election-related misinformation hammered voters around the world in 2022, but many pushed back against the conspiracy-laden Trumpian tactic of sowing distrust in the democratic process.
After year of climate disasters, world off-track to curb warming
Catastrophic floods, crop-wilting droughts and record heatwaves this year have shown that climate change warnings are increasingly becoming reality and this is "just the beginning", experts say, as international efforts to cut planet-heating emissions founder.
Prime time or Netflix? Streaming wars come to Thailand
International streaming platforms were among the biggest pandemic winners, seeing subscriber numbers soar, but US giants have turned abroad as countries re-opened -- with Thailand firmly in their sights.
Honduras suspends rights in two largest cities to fight gangs
Honduran police on Tuesday moved en masse into poor urban areas to tackle criminal gangs "head on" after a decree by President Xiomara Castro to temporarily suspend certain rights.
Germany's homegrown cannabis industry awaits legalisation
In the east German countryside, close to Dresden, a former abattoir is now home to the biggest indoor cannabis farm in Europe.
Asian equities, oil prices dragged by recession fears
Asian investors extended a sell-off across global markets Wednesday while oil held losses on growing fears Federal Reserve monetary tightening will tip the US economy into recession.
Cummins out of 2nd West Indies Test, Smith to captain Australia
Steve Smith will captain Australia in the second Test against the West Indies after skipper Pat Cummins was ruled out due to injury Wednesday with Scott Boland replacing him.
Pumping 'new black gold', Saudi DJs sense big opportunities
Ravers sporting face paint and flashing LED sunglasses jump in time to the thudding beats of Dish Dash, a DJ act whose rise mirrors that of the Saudi music scene.
Xi travels to Saudi for three days of Mideast outreach
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for three days of meetings with regional leaders likely focused on energy.
Honduras suspends rights to fight gangs
Honduran police on Tuesday moved en masse into poor urban areas to tackle criminal gangs "head on" after a decree by President Xiomara Castro to temporarily suspend certain rights.
India at 75: Rising power finding its place on global stage
Three-quarters of a century after independence, India is a nuclear power about to become the world's most populous country, and its economy has overtaken its former coloniser's to become the globe's fifth biggest.
The long road to bring Iraq's IS jihadists to justice
The horrors of the Islamic State group's rule over northern Iraq may be in the past, but efforts to bring the jihadists to justice are still gathering pace.
Iraq's Mosul healing slowly, five years after IS defeat
Five years after it emerged from the Islamic State group's jihadist rule, Iraq's once thriving cultural centre of Mosul has regained a semblance of normalcy despite sluggish reconstruction efforts.
UK pubs feel Christmas pressure as inflation bites
Inside the Mad Hatter pub in central London's South Bank district, everything is ready: the big tree, the bright lights, the fun Christmas signage.
UN biodiversity talks open, billed as 'last chance' for nature
High-stakes UN biodiversity talks open in Montreal Wednesday, in what is being billed as the "last best chance" to save the planet's species and ecosystems from irreversible human destruction.
Polls close in Georgia runoff Senate vote, a new test for Biden
Election officials in the US state of Georgia on Tuesday began counting votes in a hotly contested Senate race between a pastor and a former American football star with high stakes for Joe Biden's presidency.
'Quadgod' Malinin among newcomers hunting Japan's Uno in ISU Grand Prix final
US teenager Ilia Malinin, who made history after landing the first quad axel jump in competition, will be among a group of newcomers aiming to upset Japanese world figure skating champion Shoma Uno in the ISU Grand Prix final in Turin starting Thursday.
Djokovic to begin Australian Open campaign at Adelaide International
Novak Djokovic will begin his bid for a 10th Australian Open title at the Adelaide International, organisers said Wednesday, after the Serbian was granted a visa to enter the country.
Hall of Fame boxing ref Mills Lane dies
Mills Lane, the iconic boxing referee who officiated the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield "Bite Fight" and myriad other championship bouts, has died, the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame confirmed on Tuesday.
Apple loosens tight grip on App Store pricing
Apple on Tuesday announced the biggest upgrade to the App Store pricing system since the launch of the shop, allowing developers to charge from 29 cents to $10,000 for their offerings.
Portugal hero Ramos 'never dreamt' of World Cup hat-trick
Portugal's hat-trick hero Goncalo Ramos said he had not even dreamt of starting a World Cup knockout match, let alone scoring three in his first start in the tournament.
US judge dismisses suit against Saudi prince in Khashoggi murder
A US judge dismissed Tuesday a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his alleged role in the 2018 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
US says has not 'enabled' Ukraine strikes inside Russia
The United States said Tuesday it hadn't "enabled" Ukraine to carry out strikes inside Russia, after a spate of drone attacks on military-linked facilities deep within Russian territory.
Argentina's Kirchner: powerful, divisive, and tainted by fraud
During two decades at the core of Argentine politics, Cristina Kirchner has drawn adoration and hatred in equal measure, and even a fraud conviction is unlikely to push her out of the corridors of power anytime soon.
Hungary scraps petrol price caps amid fuel shortage
Hungary on Tuesday abolished petrol price caps after a fuel shortage led to "panic buying" at petrol stations with Hungarian energy giant MOL blaming the price limits.
Guilty of fraud, Argentina's Kirchner banned from seeking office
An Argentine court on Tuesday sentenced Vice President Cristina Kirchner to six years in jail for corruption, banning the country's best-known politician from seeking public office after a trial she dismissed as a political witch hunt.
US, Australia invite Japan to step up troop rotations
The United States and Australia said Tuesday they would welcome Japanese troops into three-way rotations, vowing a united front in the face of China's rapid military advances.
Biden celebrates US manufacturing comeback at giant semiconductor project
President Joe Biden declared the comeback of US manufacturing Tuesday at the site of a mammoth expansion to a Taiwanese-owned semiconductor plant aimed at breaking risky US dependency on foreign-based producers for the vital component.
Recession fears weigh on stocks as US oil prices hit 2022 low
Wall Street stocks fell again Tuesday, tumbling after leading bankers warned of rising recession risks, while worries of an oil-supply glut sent the US benchmark to its lowest level of 2022.