Global Pulse

作者： admin

  • Japan’s economy barely grows in the last quarter as exports slow, with 2025 expansion just 1.1%.

    Japan’s economy barely grows in the last quarter as exports slow, with 2025 expansion just 1.1%.

    Japan’s economy registered minimal growth in the final quarter of 2025, narrowly escaping a technical recession despite persistent challenges in its export sector. According to preliminary seasonally adjusted data released by the Cabinet Office on Monday, the world’s third-largest economy expanded at an annualized rate of 0.2% during the October-December period.

    The quarterly growth rate stood at a modest 0.1%, marking a recovery from the 0.7% contraction experienced in the previous quarter. This positive turnaround follows a 0.5% expansion in the April-June period, creating a pattern of volatile economic performance throughout the year.

    Private consumption demonstrated resilience with a 0.4% annualized increase, indicating some stability in domestic demand. However, this progress was substantially undermined by a significant 1.1% decline in exports, highlighting the continued vulnerability of Japan’s export-dependent economic model to global trade tensions, including those exacerbated by former President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

    For the entirety of 2025, Japan’s economy grew by 1.1%, representing the strongest annual performance since 2022 when the nation was recovering from COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. Despite this improvement, the growth trajectory remains considerably below the government’s near-term projection of approximately 0.6% average expansion.

    The economic landscape presents both challenges and opportunities for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who recently secured a landslide electoral victory. Her administration has committed to implementing stimulus measures, including increased government spending and a temporary suspension of sales tax on food items, aiming to revitalize Japan’s persistently sluggish economic engine.

  • A fireworks store explosion in China kills 8 ahead of Lunar New Year

    A fireworks store explosion in China kills 8 ahead of Lunar New Year

    A tragic explosion at a fireworks retail outlet in Jiangsu province has resulted in eight fatalities and left two individuals with minor burn injuries, casting a shadow over Lunar New Year celebrations. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon in a village within Donghai county when a local resident ignited fireworks inappropriately in close proximity to the store, according to an official government statement.

    The timing of this disaster coincides with heightened fireworks activity preceding the Spring Festival, a traditional holiday period when setting off firecrackers at midnight remains a cherished custom despite increasing restrictions. While numerous Chinese municipalities have implemented fireworks bans primarily to combat air pollution concerns, several regional governments had recently relaxed these prohibitions.

    In response to the catastrophe, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has issued urgent directives mandating enhanced supervision throughout the fireworks supply chain—from manufacturing and transportation to sales and ultimate usage. The ministry specifically emphasized the strict prohibition of trial fireworks demonstrations near retail establishments and called for comprehensive safety inspections to eliminate potential hazards.

    The regulatory body further emphasized the critical importance of these preventive measures to ensure public safety during the holiday period, expressing hopes that citizens would experience a “secure, auspicious and joyful Spring Festival” despite the tragic incident. The Lunar New Year, which marks the commencement of the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac cycle, begins on Tuesday.

  • Brazil’s Lula gets image boost at Rio Carnival, but also faces legal risks

    Brazil’s Lula gets image boost at Rio Carnival, but also faces legal risks

    RIO DE JANEIRO — A spectacular Carnival parade honoring Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at Rio’s Sambadrome has ignited political controversy and potential legal ramifications six months before the October elections. The event, organized by top samba school Academicos de Niteroi, celebrated Lula’s journey from childhood poverty to becoming one of Latin America’s most influential leaders through elaborate floats, costumes, and musical tributes.

    The president, accompanied by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and their wives, attended the celebration despite warnings from legal analysts about potential electoral violations. The parade’s central theme focused on Brazil’s northeast region—Lula’s birthplace—with organizers insisting the tribute was cultural rather than political. Tiago Martins, the parade’s chief organizer, stated they presented their vision to Lula months in advance and denied any campaign intentions in the school’s lyrics or displays.

    Political adversaries have condemned the event as premature campaigning, filing complaints with Brazil’s electoral court. Critics argue that samba schools receiving public funding should not engage in political tributes, especially during an election year. Lawmaker Kim Kataguiri led efforts to block the parade, asserting that public money should not fund “electoral campaigns disguised as tributes.”

    While Brazil’s top electoral court rejected preemptive censorship attempts, judges reserved the right to review potential violations after the event. Political analysts note that the tribute carries significant risks for Lula, potentially alienating moderate and evangelical voters who oppose mixing Carnival with politics. The event also occurs as leadership of the electoral court prepares to transition to Supreme Court Justice Kássio Nunes, appointed by Lula’s rival Jair Bolsonaro.

    Recent polls indicate a tightly contested race between Lula and his primary opponent, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, making any electoral violations potentially consequential through fines or loss of campaign resources.

  • ByteDance to curb controversial AI app after Disney legal threat

    ByteDance to curb controversial AI app after Disney legal threat

    Chinese tech conglomerate ByteDance has committed to implementing stricter safeguards for its advanced AI video generation platform Seedance, responding to mounting legal pressure from entertainment titans led by Disney. The controversy erupted after Seedance 2.0’s February 12th launch enabled users to create hyper-realistic videos featuring copyrighted characters from major franchises including Marvel, Star Wars, and various animated properties.

    Disney initiated formal legal action on Friday by issuing a cease-and-desist letter accusing ByteDance of maintaining a ‘pirated library’ of protected intellectual property. The entertainment giant’s legal team characterized the alleged infringement as a ‘virtual smash-and-grab’ of their valuable character assets. This confrontation emerged following the viral spread of AI-generated content depicting iconic scenes such as lightsaber duels between Star Wars characters Anakin Skywalker and Rey, along with Marvel superhero confrontations on New York streets.

    The Motion Picture Association, representing major studios including Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount and Netflix, joined the criticism by demanding immediate cessation of ‘infringing activity.’ Simultaneously, actors’ union Sag-Aftra condemned the platform for ‘blatant infringement’ of performers’ rights.

    In an official statement to the BBC, ByteDance affirmed that it ‘respects intellectual property rights’ and is ‘taking steps to strengthen current safeguards.’ The company previously disabled Seedance’s capability for users to upload images of real people, though specific details regarding training data and planned protective measures remain undisclosed.

    International dimensions of the controversy continue to expand, with the Japanese government launching an investigation into potential copyright violations following the appearance of AI-generated videos featuring popular anime characters. This legal confrontation mirrors similar challenges faced by other AI platforms, including Midjourney which currently faces ongoing litigation from Disney and NBCUniversal over unauthorized replication of copyrighted material.

  • AI is giving you a personalised Internet, but you have no say in it

    AI is giving you a personalised Internet, but you have no say in it

    The digital landscape is undergoing a fundamental transformation as artificial intelligence becomes an inescapable component of our online experiences. Tech giants including Google and Meta are aggressively integrating AI tools into their platforms without providing users with meaningful opt-out mechanisms, raising significant concerns about digital autonomy and privacy.

    This AI infiltration began subtly but has accelerated dramatically. Google introduced Gemini, its AI assistant, directly into Gmail without explicit user consent, mirroring its earlier deployment of AI Overviews in search results. Similarly, Meta embedded its AI chatbot across Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger as a permanent feature. These implementations share a common characteristic: the absence of clear disable options, forcing users to adapt to AI-driven interfaces whether they welcome them or not.

    Industry representatives defend these integrations as advancements in creating intelligent ‘agents’ capable of handling tasks from email composition to travel bookings. They argue that generative AI’s adaptability enables uniquely personalized internet experiences tailored to individual needs. However, this corporate narrative starkly contrasts with public sentiment. Pew Research Center data reveals that most Americans express greater concern than excitement about AI’s role in daily life, with overwhelming majorities desiring more control over technological implementations.

    The underlying economic motivations behind this AI push are becoming increasingly apparent. Despite the enormous operational costs of maintaining AI chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT—which haven’t generated direct profits through subscriptions—companies are strategically positioning themselves for an advertising revolution. The same technology powering consumer-facing chatbots enables advertisers to micro-target audiences with unprecedented precision, creating automatically tailored ads and dynamic pricing based on intimate user data extracted through conversational interfaces.

    This represents a significant evolution in digital advertising. As regulatory pressures limited cross-platform tracking, AI chatbots emerged as a solution: they encourage users to voluntarily disclose personal information, preferences, and intentions through natural conversations. Search queries have increased industry-wide precisely because people engage more extensively with chatbot-powered interfaces, revealing far more explicit data than traditional keyword searches.

    The implications are profound. Advertising systems can now infer detailed personal characteristics—such as someone’s preference for winter running—and generate hyper-specific marketing content. This creates what experts describe as ‘surveillance capitalism’ on steroids, where even product pricing could become dynamically adjusted based on individual budget information shared with chatbots.

    Smaller competitors like Mozilla and DuckDuckGo are advocating for user agency by implementing AI toggle features. Surprisingly, when DuckDuckGo asked users about AI preferences, approximately 90% rejected AI integration. However, their impact remains limited against the dominance of Google and Meta, whose products reach nearly half the global population daily. This market dominance creates a concerning reality: even when AI implementations are widely criticized, users have limited alternatives, effectively locking them into an AI-driven internet they didn’t choose.

  • She was denied a legal abortion and sent to prison over an illegal one. Now she tells her story

    She was denied a legal abortion and sent to prison over an illegal one. Now she tells her story

    In a case highlighting Africa’s complex reproductive rights landscape, 26-year-old Violet Zulu endured a two-year prison sentence after performing a self-managed abortion under desperate circumstances. The Zambian house cleaner, earning merely $40 monthly, found herself abandoned by her partner during pregnancy and subsequently failed by multiple systems designed to protect citizens.

    Zulu initially sought legal termination at a public clinic but was turned away without counseling or services. A private pharmacy quoted her 800 Zambian kwacha ($43)—equivalent to her entire monthly salary—for abortion medication. Already struggling to feed her two young sons and occasionally relying on relatives for food, Zulu consumed an herbal concoction known to terminate pregnancies, prioritizing her existing children’s survival over expanding her family.

    Her subsequent admission of delivering the fetus in a toilet and disposing of it led to criminal charges. Without legal representation—despite Zambia guaranteeing this right—and with only eighth-grade education, Zulu pleaded guilty without understanding the legal consequences, expecting merely a warning. Instead, she received a seven-year maximum-security prison sentence, separated from her children for nearly two years.

    International reproductive rights organizations including the Center for Reproductive Rights eventually intervened, facilitating her appeal and release. Legal experts note Zulu qualified for free abortion under Zambia’s provisions allowing doctors to consider risks to existing children’s wellbeing—information she never received due to widespread stigma and lack of public health education.

    Zambia presents a constitutional paradox: while permitting abortion under one of Africa’s more progressive laws, it simultaneously identifies as a strongly Christian nation. This contradiction creates practical barriers where legal procedures become ‘paper laws’ rather than accessible services. Health rights organizations estimate approximately 75% of African abortions are unsafe, with over 6 million occurring annually in sub-Saharan Africa under dangerous conditions.

    Even in South Africa—with the continent’s most progressive abortion laws—studies show only 7% of public health facilities actually provide services. A 2023 case involving a 14-year-old denied valid abortions underscored how medical professionals sometimes undermine legal rights.

    Zulu’s case has sparked calls for national dialogue about implementing Zambia’s reproductive laws more effectively. As activists emphasize, her story represents countless African women making desperate choices when legal systems fail them, revealing the urgent need for both legal reform and practical accessibility in reproductive healthcare.

  • Board of Peace members have pledged more than $5 billion for Gaza, Trump says

    Board of Peace members have pledged more than $5 billion for Gaza, Trump says

    In a significant development for Middle East peace efforts, U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed that member states of the newly established Board of Peace will pledge more than $5 billion toward Gaza’s reconstruction and humanitarian aid. The announcement came through the president’s Truth Social platform on Sunday, February 15, 2026.

    The substantial financial commitment will be formally unveiled during the group’s inaugural official meeting scheduled for Thursday at the recently renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. Beyond monetary support, participating nations have committed thousands of personnel to serve in a UN-authorized stabilization force and local police operations within the Palestinian territory.

    The Board of Peace, created through a United Nations Security Council resolution as part of the Trump administration’s comprehensive plan to end the Israel-Hamas conflict, has attracted delegations from more than 20 countries, including multiple heads of state. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which officially took effect in October of the previous year, has faced ongoing challenges with both parties repeatedly accusing each other of violations.

    According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Palestinian casualties have exceeded 590 since the ceasefire began, while Israel reports the loss of four soldiers to militant activities during the same period. The board’s composition reveals interesting geopolitical dynamics, with strong participation from regional powers including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, alongside emerging nations such as Indonesia. Traditional Western allies of the United States have demonstrated more cautious engagement with the initiative.

  • Watch: Singles pray to a goddess for love in Bangkok

    Watch: Singles pray to a goddess for love in Bangkok

    An unconventional spiritual phenomenon is unfolding within a Bangkok shopping complex, where a shrine dedicated to Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity, has transformed into an unexpected pilgrimage site for Thailand’s lovelorn youth. Rather than seeking material riches, young singles are flocking to the retail temple to offer prayers and perform traditional rituals in hopes of attracting romantic partners and fulfilling relationships.

    The shrine’s popularity has surged through social media platforms, with viral videos showcasing devotees presenting red offerings—including roses, pomegranates, and crimson drinks—to the adorned deity. Participants engage in specific ceremonial practices believed to invoke the goddess’s favor in matters of the heart, creating a unique fusion of ancient spiritual traditions with contemporary dating anxieties.

    This cultural adaptation demonstrates how urban youth are blending religious practices with modern personal aspirations. The shopping mall location provides accessible spirituality amid commercial surroundings, reflecting how traditional beliefs evolve within consumer-oriented societies. The phenomenon has sparked conversations about changing courtship patterns, spiritual appropriation, and how young people navigate romance in increasingly digital and disconnected urban environments.

  • Israel PM Netanyahu says all enriched uranium ‘has to leave Iran’

    Israel PM Netanyahu says all enriched uranium ‘has to leave Iran’

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has articulated a stringent set of demands for any prospective nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran, emphasizing that the complete removal of all enriched uranium from Iranian territory is non-negotiable. Speaking at a conference for major American Jewish organizations in Jerusalem on Sunday, Netanyahu outlined a tripartite framework essential for Israeli endorsement of any deal.

    The Prime Minister’s first condition mandates the expulsion of Iran’s entire stockpile of enriched uranium. His second requirement calls for the comprehensive dismantlement of Tehran’s uranium enrichment infrastructure, including all related equipment and facilities. Thirdly, Netanyahu insisted that any final accord must conclusively address Iran’s ballistic missile program, a persistent point of contention in previous negotiations.

    These declarations coincide with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s departure for Switzerland, where a second round of renewed nuclear talks with U.S. officials is scheduled this week. The negotiations, which resumed on February 6th in Muscat following a prolonged hiatus, occur against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions. Previous diplomatic efforts collapsed in June 2025 when Israel initiated an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iranian nuclear sites, triggering a 12-day conflict.

    Adding complexity to the current talks is the considerable uncertainty surrounding Iran’s nuclear inventory. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors last documented Tehran’s stockpile of over 400 kilograms of 60-percent enriched uranium in June, prior to the Israeli and American military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

    Netanyahu revealed that he presented these identical conditions to U.S. President Donald Trump during their discussions earlier this month. Beyond the three core demands, the Israeli leader emphasized the necessity of ‘real, substantive inspections’ without lead-time notifications to ensure verifiable compliance with any agreement.

    The renewed diplomatic engagement unfolds amid continued military posturing, with Washington having previously threatened Tehran with military action and deployed an aircraft carrier group to the region following Iran’s lethal suppression of anti-government protests last month.

  • ‘This is for India’: Suryakumar delighted with big win over Pakistan

    ‘This is for India’: Suryakumar delighted with big win over Pakistan

    In a commanding display of cricketing prowess, India delivered a resounding 61-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in a highly anticipated T20 World Cup group stage clash on Sunday. The match, which had faced potential political boycotts until recently, culminated in India’s qualification for the Super Eight phase alongside West Indies from Group A.

    India’s innings was propelled by an explosive performance from opener Ishan Kishan, who smashed 77 runs off just 47 deliveries, featuring 10 boundaries and 3 sixes. His aggressive batting established a formidable foundation after the early dismissal of Abhishek Sharma. Despite Pakistan’s mid-innings recovery that restricted India to 175-7, the total proved more than sufficient.

    Pakistan’s response began disastrously, collapsing to 13-3 within the powerplay as Jasprit Bumrah (2-12) and Hardik Pandya made early breakthroughs. The critical dismissal of captain Salman Agha and star batsman Babar Azam for single-digit scores left the team reeling at 34-4. Usman Khan provided brief resistance with 44 runs, but his dismissal triggered a terminal collapse to 78-7, with Pakistan ultimately bowled out for 114 in 18 overs.

    The geopolitical tension surrounding the encounter was palpable, with captains abstaining from the traditional handshake at the toss—a recurrence of their Asia Cup 2025 protocol. The match itself was only confirmed six days prior following diplomatic resolutions between the nuclear-armed neighbors, who haven’t played bilateral cricket since 2013.

    Captain Suryakumar Yadav (32 off 29 balls) dedicated the victory to the nation, praising Kishan’s ‘outside-the-box thinking’ that changed the game’s momentum. The result extends India’s dominant World Cup record against Pakistan, having now won eight of their nine T20 encounters and all eight ODI World Cup meetings.