Author: WTX News Editor

The story of the spotlight has been told many times with slight variations, but one of the oldest comes from the Islamic Sufi tradition with Mullah Nasruddin. It goes like this. Nasruddin was on the walk one night when he came across his friend on his hands and knees, looking for something. What are you doing? Nasruddin said, Oh, I’ve lost my key. His friend said, I’m looking for it. Nasradin was kind, so he…

EU fines Meta €797 million over antitrust breaches, that amounts to £663 million in sterling. Which adds to the compounding problem American tech companies are having in Europe. The EU Commission on Thursday fined US tech giant Meta €797.7 million ($840.2 million) for breaches of EU competition law as the EU crackdowns on American social media and tech giants falling foul of EU business practices. Apple facing near-£3bn UK lawsuit over cloud storage ‘monopoly’ The body said that Meta…

World’s First Wooden Satellite Aims to Tackle Space Debris Problem with Sustainable Solution One might imagine the hostile environment of space as bad news for any organic molecules. However, Japanese engineers just created a wooden satellite called LignoSat, with preparations for a summertime 2025 launch. The mission is meant as a demonstration of the capacities of this humble material to live long and prosper in the vacuum of space. In space, there is no oxygen…

Thousands of protesters marched through Paris on Wednesday night, denouncing a secretive gala organised by Israel’s far-right. The event aimed to raise funds for Israel. It comes on the eve of the France-Israel football match and there are fears of violence.

Several airlines have suspended flights to and from Bali as dangerous ash clouds from Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki threaten air travel safety. The volcano, located near the popular Indonesian tourist destination, erupted over the weekend, sending a towering ash plume 9km into the sky.

A man was found dead following two explosions near Brazil’s Supreme Court in Brasília on Wednesday evening. The area, home to the country’s top government institutions—the Supreme Court, parliament, and presidential palace—was shaken by the blasts, prompting an evacuation of the court building.  

Over the past two weeks, it has become increasingly evident that politicians, backed by powerful lobby groups, often feel unaccountable to the public except during election periods. This is precisely when the electorate must pressure and hold their representatives—whether MPs, governors, or members of Congress—to account.

We are also seeing a notable rise in interest toward BRICS. Western nations’ firm control over the global financial system has spurred Middle Eastern and Eastern European states to reassess their reliance on this framework.

A further revelation over the past fortnight has highlighted duplicity within the EU, where evidence suggests that despite sanctions, the EU is continuing to purchase Russian oil and gas through intermediaries.

Today’s main headlines

America’s U-turn on Gaza,
The knock on effect from a TRUMP,
The inquest into the Democratic Party,
The Church of England is in trouble,
Israeli hooligans in Amsterdam have been arrested,
The Guardian boycotts X,
It’s not all rosey in Saudi.
Uncover the world in 5 minutes.

At least 35 people have been killed and 45 injured in a car attack at a stadium in Zhuhai, southern China, marking one of the deadliest public violence incidents in the country in decades. Police say the driver deliberately crashed into groups of people exercising at the Zhuhai Sports Centre.

Delhi and its neighbouring regions are battling a toxic smog crisis as air quality has plummeted to “severe” levels, far exceeding WHO safety standards. AQI readings in several areas of Delhi, Noida, and Gurgaon have hit the maximum 500 mark, with pollution levels 30-35 times the WHO’s recommended limits.

Azerbaijan’s President defended the country’s oil and gas resources, calling them a “gift of god” and arguing that nations should not be blamed for having fossil fuel reserves. He criticised “Western fake news” about Azerbaijan’s emissions, saying the country’s share of global gas emissions was just 0.1%.

Local media report that at least 20 people were hurt, many of whom were exercising on the stadium’s designated walking track at the time. Victims, including elderly individuals, teenagers, and children, were rushed to local hospitals for treatment.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine’s ongoing operation in Russia’s Kursk region is tying down an estimated 50,000 Russian troops, significantly impacting Moscow’s ability to launch attacks inside Ukraine.

Cuba continues to face a wave of natural disasters that are straining the island’s already fragile infrastructure and deepening economic hardships for its population.  

Israeli airstrikes on northern Lebanon and Gaza have killed dozens of people, including several children, according to local officials and rescuers. In northern Lebanon, at least 23 people, including seven children were killed. In Gaza, strikes on homes killed at least 30, injured over 30 others.

Andrés “Pillín” Bracamonte, the long-time leader of a notorious football hooligan gang in Argentina, was fatally shot near Rosario Central’s Gigante de Arroyito stadium on Saturday.

Israeli thugs attacked Dutch residents in Amsterdam for supporting Palestinian flags. The supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv sparked violence in the streets of Amsterdam on Wednesday night, after throwing stones and rocks at windows and then stealing Palestinian flags from homes and setting a flag on fire. Israeli hooligans were chanting racist and genocidal slurs Eyewitnesses recorded a group pulling a Palestinian flag off of a building on Rokin Street, before singing “Fuck you Palestine”.…

An Indian funded railway terror attack kills at least 25 in Pakistan. There has been a surge in deadly attacks in the province, fuelled by India and the desire to maintain instability in Pakistan. Authorities say at least 25 people have been killed after a bomb exploded at a railway station in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. Railway terror attack kills at least 25 in Pakistan Dozens of others were injured in the blast, which happened as…

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on his recent election victory, praising him as a “courageous man” during a speech in Sochi. Putin noted that Trump was “hounded from all sides” during his previous term in office.

Cuba is working to restore power following a nationwide blackout caused by Hurricane Rafael. The storm, packing winds of up to 185 km/h (115 mph), left much of the country in the dark after battering the island on Wednesday. This marks the second major power outage in recent weeks.  

Quick View – Contents What does a Donald Trump presidency look like for the economy? On Tuesday, the United States voted for its next President. Donald Trump will take office in January (four years after he lost re-election). In the lead-up to the election, he made a series of promises to the American people – including 50% tariffs on Chinese goods and tariffs on all other imports of up to 20%, including for European countries. He’s also…

He has, of course, proposed hitting China with 50% tariffs and then tariffs on all other imports of up to 20%, including for European countries. So they’re going to have to not only deal with that, but figure out whether they line up behind America on that, or whether they line up behind China on that as well.

Hurricane Rafael has left Cuba in a nationwide blackout after making landfall on Wednesday with winds reaching up to 185 km/h (115 mph). The powerful storm caused a complete shutdown of the country’s electricity grid.

Australia’s government is set to introduce new legislation banning under-16s from social media. The PM announced that the proposed law, which will be tabled in parliament next week, is designed to reduce the “harm” caused by social media.

At least 36 die after bus falls into a gorge in India At least 36 people have died and 27 others injured after a bus plunged into a 50-meter-deep gorge in Uttarakhand’s Almora district. The accident occurred early on Monday morning in the town of Marchula, when the driver lost control of the bus, which was en route to Ramnagar district.  The bus was carrying 44 passengers, and images from the scene showed the vehicle…

Killers of Ugandan Olympian sentenced to 35 years Two men have been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Ugandan Olympic athlete Benjamin Kiplagat. The 34-year-old steeplechaser was killed on New Year’s Eve in Eldoret, a town renowned for its training camps for elite athletes.  Kiplagat was stabbed to death after being followed by Peter Ushuru Khalumi and David Ekai Lokere, who attacked him in a premeditated act, according to CCTV footage.…