Month: December 2025

Big tech bets big on AI – but can India keep pace in the global race?

BBC: This week, tech giants Amazon and Microsoft pledged an eye-popping $50bn-plus combined investment in India, putting artificial intelligence (AI) in the spotlight. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella announced his company’s largest investment ever in Asia – $17.5bn (£13.14bn) – “to help build the infrastructure, skills, and sovereign capabilities needed for India’s AI-first future”. Amazon followed suit, and said […]

December 11, 2025

News in English

US bombers join Japanese jets in show of force after China–Russia drills, Tokyo says

Reuters: TOKYO, Dec 11 – U.S. nuclear-capable bombers flew over the Sea of Japan alongside Japanese fighter jets on Wednesday, Tokyo said, in a show of force following Chinese and Russian drills in the skies and seas around Japan and South Korea. Japan and the U.S. “reaffirmed their strong resolve to prevent any unilateral attempt […]

December 11, 2025

News in English

Trump administration says it seized oil tanker off Venezuela coast

Al Jazeera: The United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, where President Donald Trump has been threatening military action for the last several months. Members of the Trump administration confirmed reports that the US coastguard led an operation to commandeer the vessel on Wednesday afternoon. But few details have been released […]

December 11, 2025

News in English

Venezuelan opposition leader makes first public appearance after months in hiding

BBC: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado appeared in Oslo, Norway, after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, waving from the balcony of the Grand Hotel after months in hiding. Machado made the covert journey despite a travel ban, and has mostly laid low since Venezuela’s disputed presidential election in 2024. She last appeared in public […]

December 11, 2025

News in English

The Swiss city that lets you pay for most things with bitcoin

BBC: In a McDonald’s by a lake surrounded by mountains, in the centre of the Swiss city of Lugano, a customer orders coffee. “Can I pay with bitcoin?” he asks, and the person behind the counter holds out what looks like a credit card payment terminal. It is in fact a machine for paying by […]

December 11, 2025

News in English

US could ask foreign tourists for five-year social media history before entry

BBC: Tourists from dozens of countries including the UK could be asked to provide a five-year social media history as a condition of entry to the United States, under a new proposal unveiled by American officials. The new condition would affect people from dozens of countries who are eligible to visit the US for 90 […]

December 11, 2025

News in English

Why Thailand and Cambodia are fighting again after Trump ceasefire

BBC: Once again the boom of artillery, rockets and air strikes sounds along the Thai-Cambodian border. Villages in a corridor stretching for hundreds of kilometres have been evacuated for a second time in five months. Families and their pets sit on mats in temporary shelters, wondering when they can go home, and when they might […]

December 11, 2025

News in English

Gunfire as rebels target key DR Congo city despite Trump peace deal

BBC: Sporadic gunfire and explosions have been reported as M23 rebels advance towards a key city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in an offensive that has forced thousands to flee across the border into Burundi. Residents and military sources said soldiers were fleeing the assault on Uvira, the last government-held city in the mineral-rich […]

December 10, 2025

News in English

South Korea protests Chinese and Russian warplanes in its airspace

BBC: South Korea has lodged a complaint with the Chinese and Russian defence attaches based in the country, a day after their warplanes entered its air defence zone. Seoul said it sent up fighter jets to “take tactical measures in preparation for any emergencies” after seven Russian and two Chinese military aircraft “briefly entered” the […]

December 10, 2025

News in English

Sperm from donor with cancer-causing gene was used to conceive almost 200 children

BBC: A sperm donor who unknowingly harboured a genetic mutation that dramatically raises the risk of cancer has fathered at least 197 children across Europe, a major investigation has revealed. Some children have already died and only a minority who inherit the mutation will escape cancer in their lifetimes. The sperm was not sold to […]

December 10, 2025