3 h. ago Rubio says won’t force deal on Ukraine as Europeans join Miami talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday promised not to force Ukraine into any agreement to end Russia’s invasion as European allies joined fresh talks in Miami. The weekend talks come as Russian President Vladimir Putin in an annual news conference vowed to press ahead with his military offensive in Ukraine, hailing battlefield gains nearly four years into his war. US President Donald Trump’s envoys have pressed a plan in which the United States would offer security guarantees to Ukraine,...

Politics

4 h. ago Protection of vulnerable workers must be part of China’s AI strategy

Given the breakneck speed of technological and commercial developments across the world, China is perhaps one of only a few sovereign states with a comprehensive strategy on both artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The Chinese state philosophy in AI development is anchored in diffusion, as opposed to maximising the cutting-edge performance of select generative or reasoning models. While American and European investors are lured by the prospects of superintelligent and humanoid robots,...

Politics

7 h. ago Rome to charge tourists to get close to famed Trevi Fountain

Tourists who want to get close to Rome’s Trevi Fountain will soon have to pay a €2 (US$2.34) fee, the city mayor said on Friday, as authorities look to profit more handsomely from Italy’s many attractions. Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told reporters the new payment system would start on February 1, adding that the measure was expected to raise €6.5 million (US$7.6 million) a year. “Two euros isn’t very much and it will lead to less chaotic tourist flows,” Gualtieri said, stressing that citizens...

Politics

7 h. ago China’s NMPA Accepts New Drug Application for Tinengotinib Tablets for Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma

China’s NMPA Accepts New Drug Application for Tinengotinib Tablets for Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma  OncLive

Events

14 h. ago E&E News: China poses major risk to Europe’s energy grids, top NATO official warns

E&E News: China poses major risk to Europe’s energy grids, top NATO official warns  POLITICO Pro

Events

14 h. ago China poses major risk to Europe’s energy grids, top NATO official warns

China poses major risk to Europe’s energy grids, top NATO official warns  E&E News by POLITICO

Events

15 h. ago Trump says war with Venezuela remains possible, NBC News reports

US President Donald Trump said he was leaving the possibility of war with Venezuela on the table, according to an interview with NBC News published on Friday. “I don’t rule it out, no,” he told NBC News in a phone interview. Trump also said there would be additional seizures of oil tankers near Venezuelan waters, according to the published interview. On Tuesday, Trump ordered a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Washington’s latest move to increase...

Politics

15 h. ago Trump leaves war with Venezuela on the table, threatens more seizures, NBC News reports

US President Donald Trump said he was leaving the possibility of war with Venezuela on the table, according to an interview with NBC News published on Friday. “I don’t rule it out, no,” he told NBC News in a phone interview. Trump also said there would be additional seizures of oil tankers near Venezuelan waters, according to the interview. The US seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela last week. “If they’re foolish enough to be sailing along, they’ll be sailing along back...

Events

21 h. ago Energy Asia 2025 offers clear road map for sustainable global net

The need for a flexible mindset, long-term investment and cooperation between Asian nations as the world embraces more sustainable ways to produce, distribute and consume energy were the key action points from top-level discussions involving policymakers and industry leaders. The three-day Energy Asia 2025 forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by the Malaysian energy company, Petronas, examined how Asia can meet its soaring energy needs while advancing its climate goals, a difficult balance...

Politics

22 h. ago EU agrees US$106 billion loan for Ukraine, but without Russian assets

EU leaders struck a deal Friday to provide Ukraine a €90 billion (US$106 billion) loan to plug its looming budget shortfalls - but failed to agree on using frozen Russian assets to come up with the funds. The agreement - which came after more than a day of talks at a summit in Brussels - offers Kyiv a desperately needed lifeline as US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end Russia’s war. “We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros of support to Ukraine for 2026-27...

Economics

23 h. ago China urged to win ‘hearts and minds’ to fill global leadership void as US retreats

As the United States undergoes a strategic shift in its global priorities, experts in China are pushing Beijing’s vision for a new world order – but they say the country must improve its messaging. Leading political scientist and government adviser Zheng Yongnian said China had two guiding principles: maintaining its agency while engaging with the world; and extending the ladder it climbed to help other nations ascend. Zheng made the remarks on Tuesday at the International Forum on Mutual...

Politics

24 h. ago Europe edges away from China as Beijing's campaign against Japan backfires

Europe edges away from China as Beijing's campaign against Japan backfires  Nikkei Asia

Events

34 h. ago BYD closes gap on MG as Chinese automaker sales in Europe more than double

BYD closes gap on MG as Chinese automaker sales in Europe more than double  Automotive News

Politics

36 h. ago China slams EU subsidy probes as ‘egregious’ and discriminatory

China’s Ministry of Commerce has expressed strong opposition to recent European Union investigations into Chinese companies and vowed to use necessary means to defend their rights. “The European Union has recently launched a series of Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) investigations targeting Chinese enterprises such actions are egregious, with clear targeting and discriminatory intent,” ministry spokesman He Yadong said during a press conference on Thursday. Last week, Brussels launched an...

Events

38 h. ago Beijing, Hong Kong slam G7 over criticism of Jimmy Lai trial verdict

Beijing and Hong Kong have slammed the G7 for “trampling the city’s rule of law” after the group criticised the guilty verdict handed down at former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s national security trial and demanded his immediate release. The strongly worded statements on Thursday were in response to a joint call from the foreign ministers of the G7 and the European Union’s high representative, who condemned Lai’s prosecution while expressing their ongoing concerns about “deteriorating...

Politics

38 h. ago French doctor Frederic Pechier jailed for life for poisoning 30 patients, 12 fatally

A French court on Thursday sentenced a doctor to life in jail for poisoning 30 child and adult patients, 12 of whom died, reportedly in an attempt to discredit colleagues. Frederic Pechier, 53, worked as an anaesthetist in two clinics in the eastern city of Besancon, when patients went into cardiac arrest in suspicious circumstances between 2008 and 2017. Twelve could not be resuscitated. Pechier’s youngest victim, four-year-old Teddy, survived two cardiac arrests during a routine tonsil surgery...

Events

41 h. ago As trade deficit mounts, is EU offering China what it wants to buy?

Facing an ever-increasing trade deficit with China, Europe has limited options to balance the situation in the short term even though it still holds an edge in key sectors including pharmaceuticals, machinery and components, analysts said. China’s global trade surplus hit an all-time high of US$1.076 trillion in the first 11 months of this year, despite a decline in exports to the United States following US President Donald Trump’s imposition of steep tariffs. A lot of China’s redirected exports...

Politics

43 h. ago After year of shocks, Europe faces crunch talks on Ukraine, China and its economic future

Late last year, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began her second term in office, a giant purple banner was draped over the side of the EU executive arm’s headquarters, declaring: “United for our Future, 2024-2029.” While unity among the EU’s 27 member states has always been elusive, it has rarely been more critical. Its leaders will gather on Thursday to try to round off the year with a collective bang, but there is growing fear it will end with a series of disparate...

Economics

43 h. ago After year of shocks, EU faces crunch talks on Ukraine, China and its economic future

Late last year, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began her second term in office, a giant purple banner was draped over the side of the EU executive arm’s headquarters, declaring: “United for our Future, 2024-2029.” While unity among the EU’s 27 member states has always been elusive, it has rarely been more critical. Its leaders will gather on Thursday to try to round off the year with a collective bang, but there is growing fear it will end with a series of disparate...

Economics

44 h. ago Putin vows victory in Ukraine as US and Russia prepare for Miami talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in victory for his war in Ukraine during a meeting with senior military officials on Wednesday amid a renewed diplomatic push to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict. He said that more than 300 localities in the neighbouring country have been conquered this year alone. “Among them are also large cities that have been turned by the enemy into fortress nodes with permanent defensive installations,” Putin said. The Russian president said...

Politics