Geneva — As we look back on 2025, the world experienced a year of both remarkable achievement and profound challenge in global health. Multilateralism, science and solidarity were tested as never before, underscoring a fundamental truth: international cooperation is not optional. It is essential if we are to protect and promote health for everyone, everywhere…
X has announced significant changes to Grok’s image-editing capabilities following a multi-week outcry regarding the chatbot’s generation of nonconsensual nudity and sexualized images involving children. The company has implemented technological safeguards specifically designed to prevent Grok from editing images of real people in revealing clothing, such as bikinis. These new restrictions will apply to all…
Nairobi — President Donald Trump has escalated efforts to further distance the United States from international organizations and entities focused on climate, the environment, and energy. This strategy is in step with his administration’s established approach to undermine and redirect funds and international cooperation away from climate and clean energy programs. But where some see…
Visa is working to integrate stablecoins into existing payment systems, seeing an opportunity to maintain its market leadership as these tokens gain traction, Visa’s head of crypto, Cuy Sheffield, said in an interview. Stablecoins, cryptocurrencies typically pegged to the US dollar, allow funds to be moved outside traditional banking systems. While their circulation has surged,…
The company that owns the iconic luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue filed for bankruptcy late Tuesday. The move comes after Saks Global struggled with debt it took on to buy rival Neiman Marcus, lagging department store sales and a rising online market. It’s one of the largest retail collapses since the Covid-19 pandemic, and casts…
Global smartphone shipments rose 2% year on year in 2025, lifted by stronger demand and economic momentum in emerging markets, Counterpoint Research said on Monday. Apple led the market with a 20% share, the largest among the top five brands, supported by solid demand in emerging and mid-sized markets and strong sales of the iPhone…
The arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the Trump administration has added a new layer of geopolitical uncertainty, reinforcing gold’s role as a global safe-haven asset and pushing prices to record levels. Gold rose more than 2.5% on January 5, climbing to nearly $4,450 an ounce. Since the start of 2025, prices are up…
China has said the United States’ decision to withdraw from United Nations bodies and other entities was a proof that the international landscape was witnessing an effective operation of the multilateral system. The Chinese Foreign Ministry emphasised that only such a system can “stop the law of the jungle from prevailing and stop the ‘might…
At the 2025 global climate summit, COP30, held in Belém, Brazil, one decision stood out with major consequences for Africa: countries agreed on a new set of progress indicators. The “Belém Adaptation Indicators” were developed through a two-year UN process. Although the name may sound technical, the idea is straightforward. For the first time, countries…
Trump set to pull US out of dozens of UN and global bodies US President Donald Trump has announced plans to withdraw the United States from 66 United Nations and international organisations, cutting funding and ending participation in bodies focused on climate change, democracy, health and human rights. In a presidential memo released by the…
