Daily SumUp

Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland has rejected an attempt by the central government to give the US exclusive control of a port and airbase in Berbera.The city lies on the strategic Gulf of Aden, on the northern coast of Somaliland. The territory, which declared independence in 1991 as Somalia descended into civil war, says the facilities are not Mogadishu's to give away.In a letter to US President Donald Trump, seen by Reuters news agency, Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also offered port and airbase within Somalia, saying all four would strengthen US security operations.Somaliland's Foreign Affairs Minister Abdirahman Dahir Aden dismissed the move as "desperate".... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Table Rock Complex Fire in South Carolina has reached more than 12,000 acres in size, surpassing the 2016 Pinnacle Mountain Fire.We are monitoring the Table Rock fire and the Persimmon Ridge Fire around the clock and will provide updates here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Japan's fast-food chain Sukiya will shut nearly all of its roughly 2,000 stores nationwide for four days from Monday following recent incidents of customers finding a rodent in a bowl of miso soup and a bug in another meal, it said on its website on Saturday.Sukiya, the country's biggest beef bowl chain owned by dining giant Zensho Holdings (7550.T), opens new tab, last weekend apologised that miso soup served at one of its locations in western Japan in January had contained a rat. Zensho shares fell as much as 7% on the following Monday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Utah has become the first US state to ban the use of fluoride in its public water, following concerns raised by health secretary Robert F Kennedy that the mineral poses potential health risks. Governor Spencer Cox signed the ban into law this week, which will go into effect on 7 May. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had little to celebrate Sunday as they marked the normally festive Eid al-Fitr with rapidly dwindling food supplies and renewed fighting in the Israel-Hamas war. Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 19 people, mostly women and children, health officials said.Many prayed outside demolished mosques on the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. It’s supposed to be a joyous occasion when families feast and purchase new clothes for children, but most of Gaza’s 2 million people are just trying to survive.“It’s the Eid of sadness,” Adel al-Shaer said after attending prayers amid rubble in the central town of Deir al-Balah. “We lost our loved ones, our children, our lives and our futures.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Muslims around the world are eagerly looking forward to the celebration of Eid Al Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.Since Islamic months can be either 29 or 30 days long, the end of Ramadan depends on the Moon sighting.In the UAE, the moon was spotted on Saturday, meaning Ramadan would have lasted 29 days, and Eid would be celebrated on Sunday. Residents were in for a well-deserved four-day break to enjoy the festivities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rabat — Saudi Arabia has announced Sunday, March 30 as Eid Al Fitr 2025.The Gulf country announced the official date after religious committees conducted a moon sighting on Saturday.According to moon sighting results, the committee sighted the crescent for the month of Shawaal, the tenth month in the Islamic calendar. The confirmation means that Sunday marks Eid Al Fitr in Saudi Arabia, announcing the end of the holy month of Ramadan that lasted for 29 days or 30 this year as the country started fasting for the holy month on March 1.Many other countries confirmed Sunday as Eid Al Fitr, including Qatar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Donald Trump has pulled the nomination of New York Rep Elise Stefanik to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations.Announcing his decision in a post on social media, Trump said it was essential that Stefanik retain her seat in the House of Representatives to protect Republicans' razor-thin majority."I don't want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise's seat," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations."Calling her one of his biggest allies, the president said Stefanik would rejoin the House leadership team.In preparation for the UN role, she had forfeited her position as the third most senior member, the House Republican Conference chairperson.Speaker Mike Johnson praised her in statement. "There is no doubt she would have served with distinction as our ambassador to the United Nations, but we are grateful for her willingness to sacrifice that position and remain in Congress to help us save the country." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Brennan, Former CIA Director, Pete Baker, Chief White House Correspondent for the New York Times, and David Jolly, former Republican Congressman from Florida join Alicia Menendez in for Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House to discuss the continued fallout from the leaked group chat detailing the military’s war plans for a strike in Yemen, how Pete Hegseth and Mike Waltz have stayed in their jobs, and what events like this could do to allies being willing to share intelligence with America.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia and North Korea will soon begin the construction of a road bridge between the two countries, Moscow’s ambassador to Pyongyang said on Thursday.“I hope that soon we will witness the ceremonial start of construction of this, without exaggeration, the most significant and important, from a practical point of view, object of bilateral cooperation in all the recent decades,” Aleksandr Matsegora told the Russian state news agency RIA in an interview.Noting that the construction of the bridge has not yet begun, Matsegora said that both sides are currently carrying out preparatory work, as well as finalizing the design documentation and forming construction teams and columns of equipment.“However, we do not have long to wait,” Matsegora said, expressing that there are many other “promising” bilateral projects between the two countries, which he said they will be able to talk about soon.Moscow and Pyongyang signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in June 2024 amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's first visit to North Korea in 24 years.An agreement was also signed on the construction of the motorway bridge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social media platforms Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) experienced technical issues on Thursday afternoon, with problems beginning around 2:30 p.m. ET, according to outage monitoring site DownDetector.Users across the U.S. reported being unable to access Reddit entirely, with both the website and mobile app appearing completely offline. Visitors attempting to load the site were met with error messages or blank pages, suggesting a widespread service disruption.X also saw a significant uptick in user complaints, particularly around slow load times and problems sending direct messages. While the platform remained partially functional, users reported general sluggishness and intermittent service interruptions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For centuries, scientists believed that only the elite were buried in pyramids. But a surprising recent discovery of ancient skeletons has thrown that idea into question. In a new study, researchers analysed the remains of people buried in Tombos, an archaeological site located in modern-day Sudan, bordering Egypt.Around 3,500 years ago, the ancient town of Tombos sat along the Nile River in a region called Nubia, which had been conquered by the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose I (he ruled about 170 years before Tutankhamun). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin launched a nuclear submarine with Zircon hypersonic missiles that can travel at speeds up to several times faster than sound.According to Russian news agencies citing a video from the Arctic port Murmansk Putin ordered the launch of the vessel named Perm, after a Urals city, with the following order: "I herewith authorise!"Citing documents related to the launch, the Russian agencies said that the Perm was the first nuclear submarine equipped with Zircon as a standard.Zircon missiles are very hard to defend because of their range (900 km or 560 miles).The Perm submarine is the sixth in the Russian Yasen class and Yasen M class built by Sevmash near Murmansk.According to the Russian news agency, the vessel's construction differed slightly compared to earlier models of the same class. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a further move to break the cycle of young people carrying knives and to better protect the public from knife-related crime, from 1 August, ninja swords will be banned. This will make it illegal to possess, manufacture, import or sell these deadly weapons.  The majority of ninja swords have a blade between 14 inches and 24 inches with one straight cutting edge with a tanto style point. From 1 August, anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword in private could face 6 months in prison, and this will later increase to 2 years under new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill. There is already a penalty of up to 4 years in prison for carrying any weapon in public.  Ahead of the ban coming into place, the government, in partnership with law enforcement and members of the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, will run its most ambitious surrender scheme yet. The scheme will run across the country, targeting young people most vulnerable to knife crime.  The surrender scheme will run from 1 to 31 July to allow any member of the public to hand in these weapons safely.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denmark on Thursday expressed its strong reservations over US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on Greenland, accusing Washington of escalating tensions and interfering in Denmark’s internal affairs.“The US is escalating the tensions,” Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR. “I think they are going too far – both in interfering in Greenland’s internal affairs and in showing a lack of respect for its people’s right to decide their future.”His response comes after Trump told podcaster Vince Coglianese on Wednesday that the US “needs” Greenland “for international safety and security.”“We have to have the land because it’s not possible to properly defend a large section of this Earth – not just the US – without it. So we have to have it, and I think we will have it,” he said.Lund dismissed the remarks as “far-fetched and unreasonable,” warning that Trump’s rhetoric was becoming increasingly aggressive and amounted to a “hidden threat” against the Danish Realm, which consists of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, was seen enjoying dinner with her longtime pal, Eva Longoria, in Beverly Hills after her star-studded guest list was revealed. On Tuesday, the journalist, 55, took some time off from wedding planning to meet up with Longoria, who she has known for more than two decades, at E Baldi.For the occasion, Sanchez rocked a structured white coat over a matching tank top and a pair of light-wash blue jeans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The high-end Swiss watch lent a striking contrast to her tour of a notoriously overcrowded mega-prison in one of Latin America’s poorest countries.... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

King Charles was briefly hospitalized Thursday after experiencing “temporary” side effects from his cancer treatment, according to reports.The 76-year-old monarch, however, was back at his Clarence House residence by Thursday night, the UK Sun reported. His Friday events were canceled. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just Stop Oil to ‘hang up the hi-vis’ after three years of climate actionFinal gathering in April will mark end of street protests although campaign to continue ‘in courts and prisons’Damien Gayle Environment correspondentThu 27 Mar 2025 11.25 GMTShareSupporters of the climate group Just Stop Oil have announced that, after three years of disruptive protests, they are ending their campaign of civil resistance.Hannah Hunt, whose speech on Valentine’s Day 2022 marked the beginning of the campaign, made the announcement outside Downing Street in London on Thursday.“Three years after bursting on the scene in a blaze of orange, at the end of April the Just Stop Oil campaign will be hanging up the hi-vis,” she said. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An attack by the United States or Israel would have profound effects on domestic Iranian politics, the strategy of U.S. Gulf allies, and broader regional dynamics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For years, a Japanese man lay motionless, paralyzed from the neck down after a devastating spinal cord injury. Doctors doubted he would ever stand again. Today, he can not only stand independently but is learning to walk once more, thanks to an injection of laboratory-grown stem cells into his spinal cord.Researchers at Keio University in Tokyo treated four fully paralyzed patients using neural stem cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). Remarkably, half of the patients showed significant improvements. One can now stand, while the other can move his arms and legs.“That’s a great positive outcome. It’s very exciting for the field,” says James St John, a translational neuroscientist at Griffith University in the Gold Coast, Australia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greenland’s leader has accused the US of a “very aggressive” show of power by sending a delegation to the island as President Trump continues to express plans to take it over. NY Post reporter Anthony Blair shares this story. Left-wing Prime Minister Mute B. Egede lashed out late Sunday as news broke of the planned visit led by Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, along with White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Donald Trump said he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move the White House claims would foster domestic manufacturing but could also put a financial squeeze on automakers that depend on global supply chains.“This will continue to spur growth,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “We’ll effectively be charging a 25% tariff.”The tariffs, which the White House expects to raise $100 billion in revenue annually, could be complicated as even U.S. automakers source their components from around the world. The tax hike starting in April means automakers could face higher costs and lower sales, though Trump argues that the tariffs will lead to more factories opening in the United States and the end of what he judges to be a “ridiculous” supply chain in which auto parts and finished vehicles are manufactured across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Thursday announced that viral use of ChatGPT's new image-generation AI, introduced earlier this week, is overloading the company's servers. While it is "super fun seeing people love images" in ChatGPT, "our GPUs are melting," Altman posted on X on Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The problem with the now infamous Signal chat read around the world is not just that sensitive military-operations details were broadcast, but that this reveals a pattern of what appears to be institutional dishonesty inside the Trump administration and the legal ramifications that presents.While the national security sphere operating in secret is nothing new, the leak exposes a system of broken accountability, where high-ranking officials can spill military secrets with apparent near-total immunity. Despite potential violations of classification protocols, federal record-keeping laws and promises of operational security, the leaders look to face no meaningful legal consequences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bill Gates predicted that advancements in artificial intelligence will significantly reduce humanity’s role in many traditional tasks such as medicine and education — and the seismic shift could happen in less than 10 years.During a recent interview with comedian Jimmy Fallon on NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” the Microsoft co-founder described a future where humans are no longer necessary “for most things” because AI technology will readily perform tasks that currently require specialized human skills.Today, expertise in fields such as medicine and education remains “rare,” Gates said, adding that those areas depend on “a great doctor” or “a great teacher.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move the White House claims would foster domestic manufacturing but could also put a financial squeeze on automakers that depend on global supply chains.“This will continue to spur growth,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll effectively be charging a 25% tariff.”The tariffs, which the White House expects to raise $100 billion in revenue annually, could be complicated as even U.S. automakers source their components from around the world. The tax hike starting in April means automakers could face higher costs and lower sales, though Trump argues that the tariffs will lead to more factories opening in the United States and the end of what he judges to be a “ridiculous” supply chain in which auto parts and finished vehicles are manufactured across the United States, Canada and Mexico.To underscore his seriousness about the tariffs directive he signed, Trump said, “This is permanent.”Shares in General Motors fell roughly 3% in Wednesday trading. Ford’s stock was up slightly. Shares in Stellantis, the owner of Jeep and Chrysler, dropped nearly 3.6%. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United States and Somalia have conducted air strikes targeting the Islamic State (IS) group in northern Somalia, the country's federal government and the US military said Wednesday.The extremist group has a relatively small presence in the east African country compared to the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, but experts have warned of growing activity.A coordinated operation led by the United States African Command (AFRICOM) with the federal government had targeted "known hideouts of ISIS terrorists" based in the Golis mountains in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, Mogadishu said, using another acronym for IS.The strikes were carried out Tuesday night, a short statement said, adding initial reports "suggest that multiple ISIS fighters were killed, with no civilian casualties reported". No further details were given. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beyond his public career, Dick Carlson was a devoted father with a knack for making life an adventure. He spoke to his sons daily and maintained a longstanding tradition of weekly lunches with them at the Metropolitan Club in Washington, always preceded by a dice game.“Throughout his life, he fervently loved dogs,” his obituary noted—a simple but defining trait of the man he was. He is survived by his two sons and five grandchildren. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The watchdog group American Oversight has filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Washington seeking a judge’s order to preserve all of the Signal messages on the group chat of top Trump administration national security officials discussing this month’s military strikes on the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Signal app has a function that automatically delete messages and the lawsuit was brought, it says, to compel the Trump officials to “fulfill their legal obligations to preserve and recover federal records created through unauthorized use of Signal for sensitive national security decision-making.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wouldn’t rule out that someone would lose their job over the Signal leak scandal during a briefing Wednesday afternoon.Leavitt was asked by a reporter if she would definitively say that no one would be fired after a journalist was accidentally added to a Signal thread with top U.S. officials discussing military plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taiwan's defence ministry said Wednesday it will send senior officials to the United States this week for a handover ceremony of its first F-16V fighter jet under a multi-year arms deal.The visit comes nearly six years after Washington approved the $8 billion deal for 66 warplanes during US President Donald Trump's first term."The first aircraft has now completed its full assembly," Chiang Yuan-chi, director of the Air Force's planning division, told a news conference.Taipei has "assigned a deputy minister to lead an Air Force delegation to the US for the ceremony", said Chiang. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spanish police said on Wednesday they had arrested a man suspected of strangling an 80-year-old US Catholic priest during a robbery in the southern city of Malaga.Father Richard Gross, who was from the US city of Boston, was found dead in January inside a holiday apartment he had rented in the center of the city, where he was preparing to embark on a cruise.Officers arrested a 40-year-old French national on Tuesday in the southern city of Seville, Spain’s national police said in a statement. They said he was detained on suspicion of murder.Another suspect was already in custody: a 27-year-old North African man arrested in late January. Police said they believed he acted as a lookout during the attack. Both men have criminal records related to theft. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scientists in China have transplanted a modified pig liver into a brain-dead human – the latest step toward using pig organs to help extremely ill patients with liver failure.In one of the first trials of its kind, surgeons from Xijing Hospital at the Fourth Military Medical University in Xi’an attached a genetically modified pig liver to a brain-dead patient in March 2024, two months after a related experiment in the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The location of a chest Christians believe holds the Ten Commandments could have been under our noses this entire time.At least, that’s what these CIA documents claim.The Ark of the Covenant (no, not the Indiana Jones movie) was built by Israelites around the 13th century BC, according to the Bible.It’s believed that Moses then put the stone tablets which have the Ten Commandments on them inside of the chest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Obviously, someone made a mistake -- someone made a big mistake -- and added a journalist. Nothing against journalists, but you ain't supposed to be on that thing," Rubio told a news conference in Jamaica. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Poland’s government will on Wednesday suspend the right to seek asylum, the prime minister said, as the European Union member faces irregular migrant arrivals from neighboring Belarus.Poland and other EU states along the bloc’s eastern edge have accused Russia and its ally Belarus of orchestrating a campaign of pushing thousands of migrants over their borders in recent years.“This evening the government will adopt a decree suspending the right to apply for asylum. Just as I announced — without delay,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on social media platform X.The announcement came after Poland’s President Andrzej Duda — allied with the right-wing opposition — announced he signed into law a bill allowing the government to temporarily limit asylum rights.The Polish senate voted through the bill earlier this month.The legislation also provided for the possibility of extending the restriction with parliament’s approval.The European Union last year said member states bordering Russia and Belarus were allowed to limit the right of asylum for migrants in the event of their “weaponization” by Moscow and Minsk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia Ukraine War Updates: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted a key meeting at the State Department with the Foreign Ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—Margus Tsahkna, Baiba Braže, and Kęstutis Budrys. The meeting comes amid escalating hybrid attacks from Russia, and the leaders discussed critical issues related to supporting Ukraine and enhancing NATO's defenses. The Baltic counterparts emphasized the need for increased allied support for Ukraine, as well as stronger cooperation within NATO to address the growing security threats in the region. This diplomatic gathering highlighted the urgency of a unified response to Russian aggression and the protection of European stability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"A series of strikes by the US aggression have hit the south and north of the capital," the Al-Masirah channel said, without providing further details.The station had earlier reported 17 raids by the United States "on the Saada governorate", on top of two more on Amran.The Iran-backed rebels' news agency, Saba, said "the American aggression targeted the Oncology Hospital building in Saada".The hospital, which Huthi media said was under construction, was also hit last week.The rebel health ministry said two civilians were wounded in the latest hospital attack, which they described as "a full-fledged war crime".Early on Wednesday, a Huthi military spokesperson said the group targeted "enemy warships in the Red Sea, led by the US aircraft carrier (USS Harry S.) Truman" blamed for the Yemen strikes.The rebels also claimed a drone attack on Tel Aviv, but did not specify when it occurred. Israel did not report such an attack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The company, which generates more than a third of its revenue in the United States, intends to "support the country's focus on bolstering the nation's energy infrastructure to power AI growth, boost domestic manufacturing, and strengthen energy security", according to a press release."This new planned investment is expected to create over 1,000 new jobs and help Schneider Electric continue to play a leading role in shaping a more innovative, affordable, and energy-efficient future in the U.S.", it said. The French company already employs 21,000 staff in the country.Schneider's announcement comes amid President Donald Trump's promise to impose "reciprocal" customs duties on all US trading partners, in the hope of attracting more foreign manufacturers."Schneider Electric's significant investment is a clear sign that manufacturing in America is moving forward -- driving economic growth, innovation and job creation across the country," National Association of Manufacturers President Jay Timmons was quoted as saying in the communique. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NATO on Wednesday clarified comments that Secretary-General Mark Rutte made earlier in the day, when he suggested that four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania had died, even though the U.S. Army said their fate was not yet confirmed.“The search is ongoing,” NATO said in a statement posted on X. “We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.”The U.S. Army said the Hercules armored vehicle the four U.S. soldiers were in during a training exercise had been found submerged in a body of water. It said recovery efforts were underway by U.S. Army and Lithuanian Armed Forces and civilian agencies.The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting tactical training when they went missing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk, the billionaire advisor to President Donald Trump, has offered his technical experts to investigate how a journalist was added to an official chat on Yemen air strikes, the White House said Wednesday."Elon Musk has offered to put his technical experts on this to figure out how this number was inadvertently added to the chat," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since discovering Chinese toy company Pop Mart a year ago, Carrillo has bought nearly 100 of its products, many of which she gives as gifts to friends and family. Her love for the brand has sent her on a hunt for its characters, including travelling to Singapore for just 24 hours in hopes of finding a limited edition or waiting four hours in the rain in Taiwan just to come away with one collectible.And Carrillo isn’t alone. A search of “Pop Mart” on TikTok renders hundreds of thousands of hauls and unboxing videos. Fans have flocked overseas to look for sold out or exclusive products at different Pop Mart stores, roboshops (vending machines), or pop-ups; and groups on Facebook and WeChat trade updates on when the brand comes out with new lines or restocks its products.That virality has translated into a recent boom for the company, which was founded by 38-year-old entrepreneur and now-billionaire Wang Ning in 2010: last year its shares shot up by almost 370%, ahead of most members on the MSCI China Index. In mainland China alone, Pop Mart has over 46 million members, consumers who sign up to collect points for purchases, as of December 2024, and even opened Pop Land, an amusement park spanning 40,000 square meters in Beijing, in September 2023.But it’s outside China where Pop Mart is really taking off. Over 130 of the company’s more than 530 stores worldwide as well as over 190 of more than 2,490 roboshops, as of December 2024, are located outside mainland China, and its non-mainland revenue grew by 375% to 5 billion yuan (about $700 million) in 2024, accounting for nearly 40% of its approximately $1.8 billion total revenue, according to the company’s 2024 annual report, which was released on Wednesday.Some might say Pop Mart is riding a wave. One could argue, however, that it is making the wave. While the rest of China’s economy slowed and youth unemployment spiked last year, its guzi—goods, specifically character-based merchandise and collectible toys—market continued to soar, with Pop Mart leading the way. China’s designer toy industry is projected to reach more than 110 billion yuan, or US$15 billion, in retail sales in 2026—more than 1500% increase from 2015, when retail sales were just US$890 million. Worldwide, the toy and figurine market is projected to reach a market value of $49 billion by 2034, up from $26 billion last year.“I go Pop Mart everywhere,” Lisa, the mega famous Thai actress-singer and member of K-pop group Blackpink, told Vanity Fair in a “my secret obsession” video in November. “If I fly to New York, I go to Miami, I try to find Pop Mart there, Paris, you know, everywhere. Kind of like a treasure, finding treasure.”overseas to open together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Archaeologists in Spain have discovered what might be the oldest known rock cravings made by humans over 200,000 years ago. The latest uncovering could transform entire understanding of human history in Europe. The researchers reported the finding of an 'X' shaped graphic design on a stone bloack during an excavation which took place at the Coto Correa site in Las Chapas district, Marbella.A number of stone tools have previously been discovered in and around the site including some of the oldest found in Europe, dating back to the early Paleolithic era. Excavations in the reigon which followed have uncovered more early human stone tools which has aided in dating the site, including a huge block of stone discovered in 2022. The simple line cravings featured on the stone block confirm the presence of occupancy of settles in southern Spain during the Early Middle Paleolithic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United Nations has announced that it will be reducing the size of its international team on the ground in Gaza after renewed attacks on the Palestinian territory by Israeli forces killed hundreds of civilians, including UN personnel.UN spokesperson Stephan Dujarric said in a news briefing on Monday that approximately 30 of the UN’s 100 or so international staff would leave Gaza this week, admitting that the withdrawal comes at a time when humanitarian needs have soared and “concern over the protection of civilians intensifies”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The move was a significant shift toward leaders of the Haqqani network, which was behind some of the deadliest attacks during the war in Afghanistan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK Health Security Agency ( UKHSA ) advise that bird flu is primarily a disease of birds and the risk to the general public's health is very low. The Food Standards Agency ( FSA ) has said bird flu poses a very low food safety risk for UK consumers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two aircraft from the French display team Patrouille de France have crashed in rehearsals.The three pilots of the two Alpha Jets ejected and were "found alive and conscious", the French air force has announced.The two aircraft were taking part in rehearsals not far from the Air Base 113 in Saint-Dizier. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A cargo ship that smashed into a US military chartered oil tanker off the northeast coast of England on Monday was carrying sodium cyanide, according to the maritime intelligence company and shipping journal Lloyd’s List.The collision sparked a huge fire, a dramatic rescue effort and fears of environmental damage.Just before 10 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET), a Portuguese-flagged container ship called the Solong careered into the oil tanker, called the Stena Immaculate, which was at anchor in the North Sea about 10 miles off the English coastline, according to the ship tracking tool VesselFinder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The former wife shared shocking details about her challenging period and how she came to terms with her with the end of her marriage to Arnold in her upcoming book, I Am Maria.Maria, who shares four children with Arnold, wrote in an expert of her book, per People, that the “end of their marriage came as a devastating, life-altering blow after the deaths of her parents, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver”.“My twenty-five-year-long marriage blew up,” said the 69-year-old.Maria mentioned, “It broke my heart, it broke my spirit, it broke what was left of me. Without my marriage, my parents, a job—the dam of my lifelong capital-D Denial just blew apart.”For the unversed, Arnold confessed to fathering a child Joseph Baena, with household staffer Mildred Patty" Baena.Maria revealed in her book, “I was consumed with grief and wracked with confusion, anger, fear, sadness, and anxiety.”“I was unsure now of who I was, where I belonged. Honestly, it was brutal, and I was terrified,” she noted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.