China recorded a third consecutive year of negative population growth despite a slight increase in the number of births, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). At the end of 2024, China's population stood at 1.408 billion.more
TikTok has gone offline in the US, hours before a new law banning the platform was due to come into effect.
A message appearing on the app for US users said a law banning TikTok had been enacted, meaning "you can't use TikTok for now".more
"Big boy", or Atrax christenseni - this is the name of a new species of highly venomous spider, which has been classified by scientists from Flinders University in Australia, the Australian Museum and the Leibnitz Institute in Germany.more
Kosovo remains the poorest country in the Balkans with the highest unemployment rate in the region, according to the findings of the World Bank, presented by Kosovo television RTV21.more
A company in northern Italy that announced it was looking for five welders was approached exclusively by women. They were accepted and are very pleased with the working conditions, local daily Corriere del Veneto reported.more
The World Bank has lowered its economic growth forecasts for Poland in 2025 to 3.4 percent and in 2026 to 3.2 percent, according to a World Bank report published yesterday. Developing economies will end the year with the weakest growth prospects in the 21st century, it added.more
Irish budget airline Ryanair said yesterday it would cut flights to seven Spanish airports this summer, citing “excessive fees” charged by the operator.more
David Lynch, one of the most famous and original American directors, has died. He passed away a few days before his birthday - next Monday he would have turned 79.more
Ukraine's State Border Service reported that in 2024, the country's citizens crossed the country's borders 30.11 million times, and 2 per cent of travellers (around half a million people) have not returned to their homeland, Ukraine's Opendatabot reported on Wednesday.more
The Canadian government has blocked federal officials from using streaming services during working hours, public broadcaster CBC reported on Tuesday.more
In its annual demographic report, the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies notes that the number of births continues to fall in France, a downward trend since 2011. The number of deaths, on the other hand, is rising slightly.more
Starbucks has introduced a policy that will require people to make a purchase if they want to hang out in their cafes or use the restroom. It's part of a strategy that the new CEO hopes customers will welcome at a time of declining profits.more
A power outage may have caused the Los Angeles fires, the New York Times reported yesterday. Investigators are still investigating the cause of the wave of wildfires that broke out in California last week.more
A 21-year-old Norwegian woman has become the youngest person to reach the South Pole on skis, solo and without assistance, her team told AFP on Tuesday.more
Donald Trump will want to bring about a ceasefire in Ukraine as soon as possible after becoming US President, but Russian leader Vladimir Putin is unlikely to agree to this, according to Kurt Volker, former US Special Representative for Ukraine.more
The Spanish government plans to raise taxes on tourist rentals and implement other measures to combat the country's housing crisis, which is expected to worsen in the coming months.more
Nato will establish a Baltic Guard to strengthen security in the Baltic using frigates, patrol aircraft and other armaments, Alliance Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced today at a conference in Helsinki during a summit with eight countries in the region and the EC.more
Donald Trump would have been convicted of illegally attempting to change the outcome of the 2020 US presidential election, which he lost, had he not been re-elected as head of state in 2024. - according to a Justice Department report that was sent to Congress today.more
Iran and three major European powers - Germany, France and the UK - began two days of talks in Geneva last night on Iran's nuclear programme, the Iranian press reported, quoted by AFP.more
Danish counterintelligence has established that the idea to occupy Greenland was suggested to Donald Trump by Russian intelligence, using a forged letter to a US senator, ‘Newsweek’ recalled yesterday. The story was revived on social media just before the President-elect's inauguration.more
The Saskatchewan Police Department has released its annual list of the strangest 911 calls of 2024. The "10 Reasons Not to Call 911" list includes cat problems, refrigerator problems and math, UPI reported.more
The trial of 18-year-old Mohammed M., accused of shooting Polish man Mikael (Michał), began today in a court near Stockholm. The suspect pleaded not guilty and showed no emotion at the trial.more
Statistics for the third quarter of 2024 show that our compatriots are among the top buyers of real estate in Spain. They are only beaten by the British, Germans and Moroccans.more
Ryanair has reiterated its call for a limit of two alcoholic drinks per passenger to be introduced at airport bars.
The airline said such a policy would result in “a safer travel experience for passengers and crews”.more
More than 80% of immigrants to Canada believe Ottawa allows too much immigration. That’s higher than the immigration fatigue among the general Canadian population, 57% of whom believe there are too many immigrants.more
