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Ukraine believes North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia's army on the Kursk front line have been "withdrawn" after suffering heavy losses, a military spokesman told AFP on Friday. Western, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence agencies say Pyongyang deployed more than 10,000 troops to support Russia's forces fighting in its western Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a shock cross-border offensive in August. Kyiv captured dozens of border settlements in the operation -- the first time a foreign army had crossed into Russian territory since the Second World War -- in an embarrassing setback for the Kremlin. The North Korean deployment -- never officially confirmed by Moscow or Pyongyang -- was supposed to reinforce Russia's army and help them expel Ukraine's troops. But nearly six months on, Ukraine still holds on to swathes of Russian territory, something President Volodymyr Zelensky sees as a key bargaining chip in any future negotiations with...

US President Donald Trump said Friday he was "absolutely" going to impose tariffs on the European Union in the future, as he prepared to slap levies on China, Mexico and Canada. "Am I going to impose tariffs on the European Union? You want the truthful answer or shall I give you a political answer? Absolutely. The European Union has treated us so terribly," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/k5C2Dqm

Israel is set to release 183 prisoners on Saturday in the fourth hostage-prisoner exchange under the Gaza ceasefire deal, a Palestinian advocacy group said, more than doubling the previous reported figure. "The updated number of prisoners to be released tomorrow is 183," said Palestinian Prisoners' Club spokeswoman Amani Sarahneh on Friday, after previously announcing that 90 prisoners would be released from Israeli jails. The advocacy group published two separate lists of names due for release on Saturday. The first comprised 72 prisoners arrested before Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. A second list of inmates to be freed contained 111 names of Gazans detained after the attack that sparked the war in the Palestinian territory. Since the truce took effect on January 19, Gaza militants have released 15 hostages after holding them in captivity for over 15 months. The three hostages to be freed Saturday are Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, who also holds US citi...

 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada's response will be "forceful but reasonable" if US decide to impose 25 per cent tariffs as threatened by President Donald Trump, The Globe and Mail reported. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on its neighbour Canada and Mexico as early as Saturday. "If the president does choose to implement any tariffs against Canada, we're ready with a response -- a purposeful, forceful but reasonable, immediate response," Trudeau told reporters before a meeting with his advisory council on Canada-US relations on Friday, The Globe and Mail reported. Meanwhile, Trump on Thursday reiterated his threats saying that the tarrifs are coming and that he had yet to decide whether Canadian oil would be covered in those tariffs. Trudeau mentioned that along with Canada, the tariffs would also damage US economy and undermine the collective security of two nations. Trudeau added that Canada would keep making its...

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, set to become the second Indian to go to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's journey on board the Soyuz T-11 in April 1984, will take on the role of pilot on the Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4. The Ax-4 will go to the International Space Station (ISS) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Kennedy Space Centre in Florida no earlier than spring 2025, Axiom told reporters on Thursday. Group Captain Shukla, who is serving in the Indian Air Force (IAF), has also been chosen as an astronaut for India's Gaganyaan Mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was ISRO that sent him to NASA for the Ax-4 mission to the ISS. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the private Ax-4 mission, while Group Captain Shukla will serve as pilot, the American space agency told reporters. "I am really excited to go into microgravity and experience space ...

US President Donald Trump blamed diversity policies implemented during the Obama and Biden administrations for compromising air safety standards. This statement came after a devastating mid-air collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter, resulting in no survivors. Trump's remarks have ignited a heated debate about the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The President claimed that these initiatives prioritised policy over safety, stating, "I put safety first. Obama, Biden, and the Democrats put policy first." He further emphasised, "They actually came out with a directive: 'too white.' And we want the people that are competent". The FAA's hiring practices have been under scrutiny, with some critics arguing that DEI programs can be discriminatory. However, supporters of these initiatives contend that they address historical and ongoing disc...

US President Donald Trump has refused to pay 290,000 pounds ($360,000) in legal fees after his English lawsuit against a private investigations firm was dismissed, a London court heard on Wednesday. Trump brought a data protection lawsuit against Orbis Business Intelligence over allegations in a dossier written by its co-founder, former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, but his claim was thrown out in February last year.  The so-called Steele dossier alleged ties between Trump's 2016 election campaign and Russia as well as other salacious allegations, all of which Trump denied. Lawyers representing Orbis said on Wednesday that Trump had been ordered to make a payment of 290,000 pounds towards Orbis' legal fees, with further sums also likely to be due. "No real reason has been given for the non-payment," said Orbis' lawyer Mark Friston.  He said Trump was now also claiming he had "sovereign immunity" from any enforcement action as a he...

US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Wednesday to combat antisemitism and pledge to deport non-citizen college students and other resident aliens who took part in pro-Palestinian protests, a White House official said. A fact sheet on the order said Trump would order the Justice Department to "aggressively prosecute terroristic threats, arson, vandalism and violence against American Jews." "To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you," Trump said in the fact sheet. "I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/oWrIvBn

Denmark is bolstering its military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions, allocating an additional 14.6 billion Danish crowns ($2.05 billion) to enhance security. This move comes as Denmark resists US President Donald Trump's demands to hand over control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory with significant mineral resources. The notion of the United States purchasing Greenland has been a topic of discussion for months, but recent developments suggest that President Trump's administration is more serious about the proposition than initially thought. At the heart of Trump's interest in Greenland lies its strategic importance for national security. The island is rich in minerals crucial for technology and defense, including rare earth elements used in mobile phones, electric vehicles, and weapons. With China dominating the global rare earth market, Greenland's reserves have become increasingly vital to the US. According to Denmark's Defence Ministe...

Denmark's foreign minister on Tuesday said that Donald Trump "will not have Greenland", following the US president's expressed desire to control the Danish autonomous territory. "Trump will not have Greenland. Greenland is Greenland. And the Greenlandic people are a people, also in the sense of international law," Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters, adding that "this is also why we have said time and again that it is ultimately Greenland that decides Greenland's situation." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/afi57ZR

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office is planning for his to travel to Washington DC next week to meet with US President Donald Trump, The Times of Israel reported. The trip has not been finalised and will be dependent on Netanyahu's health, as he recovers from prostate surgery, but the plan is for him to depart on Sunday and return on Thursday, as per The Times of Israel. If he travels, Netanyahu will be the first foreign leader to meet Trump in his second term. Netanyahu on January 26 thanked Trump for giving them 'tools' for self-defence. Thank you President Trump for keeping your promise to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself, to confront our common enemies and to secure a future of peace and prosperity"@realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/O8Bgzk8j1V     — Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) January 26, 2025 "Thank you President Trump for keeping your promise to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself, to con...

More of President Donald Trump's picks for his cabinet are expected to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in the coming days after the Republican-controlled chamber began approving them last week. Hearings for other nominees are scheduled for this week as well, including Trump's nominees for FBI director, director of national intelligence and secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Here are Trump's choices for some of the key posts, including defense, intelligence, health, diplomacy, trade, justice, immigration and economic policymaking. PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY Hegseth, 44, is a military veteran who has expressed disdain for the "woke" policies of Pentagon leaders, including its top military officer. He was narrowly confirmed on Friday when Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote. As secretary of defense, Hegseth could make good on Trump's campaign promise to rid the U.S. military of generals whom he accuses of pursuing prog...

Chinese startup DeepSeek's cheaper AI is sharpening investor scrutiny of the billions U.S. tech giants are pouring to develop the technology and analysts say it will dominate this week's much-awaited results from industry bellwethers. DeepSeek has claimed it took just two months and cost under $6 million to build an AI model using Nvidia's less-advanced H800 chips. An app powered by the V3 model became the top iPhone download in the U.S. on Monday. The startup founded in 2023 has said its AI models either match or outperform top U.S. rivals at a fraction of the cost, challenging the view that scaling AI requires vast computing power and investment. Such a business need has powered an increase of around $10 trillion in the market value of "Magnificent Seven" companies since ChatGPT kicked off the AI boom in November 2022. "Did DeepSeek really build OpenAI for $5 million? Of course not," Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon said. "It seems like a stretc...

Chinese AI sensation DeepSeek on Monday said it was limiting the registration of new users due to large-scale cyberattacks on its services. The company, whose chatbot took over OpenAI's ChatGPT as Apple's top downloaded app on Monday, cited "large-scale malicious attacks" for outages and its inability to take on new users. DeepSeek, which was developed by a start-up based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, has shown the ability to match the capacity of AI pace-setters such as Nvidia. Its success on the US app store sent shares in AI-linked tech giants plummeting on Monday. The low-cost Chinese generative AI venture is thought to have matched US companies in its abilities but at a fraction of the cost. Analysts had long thought that the United States' critical advantage over China when it comes to producing high-powered chips -- and its ability to prevent the Asian power from accessing the technology -- would give it the edge in the AI race. Available a...

US President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered sweeping tariffs and sanctions against Colombia in retaliation for its refusal to accept deportation flights, as Bogota responded in kind with a 25 percent levy on US goods. Trump, back in office for less than a week and peeved after President Gustavo Petro turned away the US planes, launched the tit-for-tat by promising to impose 25 percent on Colombian products, which would rise to 50 percent in a week. His authority to do so was unclear as Colombia, historically one of Washington's closest allies in Latin America, enjoys a free-trade agreement with the United States. Trump also said he would immediately revoke visas for Colombian government officials and Petro's "supporters" -- and subject Colombians to greater scrutiny at airports. "These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the criminals they force...

Colombia's left-wing President Gustavo Petro said Sunday he would not allow US migrant deportation flights access to his country's airspace. "The United States cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I forbid entry to our territory to US planes carrying Colombian migrants," Petro wrote on X, adding they would only be accepted once Washington had created a protocol ensuring the "dignified treatment" of the migrants. Petro added in a later post that he had "turned back US military planes that were coming with Colombian migrants," without giving further details. AFP could not immediately receive confirmation from the United States that Colombian-bound deportation flights had been blocked. Petro's remarks come a day after Brazil's government similarly expressed outrage at the administration of new US president Donald Trump over the treatment of dozens of Brazilians deported from the United States. The migrants were handcuffed on the ...

The US Senate on Saturday confirmed South Dakota governor Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a key agency in President Donald Trump's push to clamp down on illegal immigration. The vote came a day after US lawmakers narrowly confirmed former Fox News co-host Pete Hegseth to be Pentagon chief, adding to previous national security posts already greenlit for Trump's cabinet, including the secretary of state and CIA director. Kristi Noem, 53, a Trump ally and second-term governor of the north central US state, takes control of the US agency overseeing border enforcement and migrant deportations, but which also leads federal efforts on cybersecurity, terrorism and emergency management. Trump on Friday said he would sign an order seeking to scrap the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), after he harshly criticized its response to two devastating hurricanes during last year's election campaign. Kristi Noem is best known internationally for si...

Osamu Suzuki, Suzuki Motor Corp's patriarch and long-time chairman who has been conferred Padma Vibhushan posthumously, headed the company for more than 40 years and revolutionised India's car market with the introduction of the popular Maruti 800 car. Osamu Suzuki is among seven personalities who were conferred Padma Vibhushans, one of the highest civilian honours in the country, on Saturday. Osamu Suzuki, who died in late December last year at the age of 94, shared a good rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to PM Modi, Osamu Suzuki was a legendary figure in the global automotive industry. “His visionary work reshaped global perceptions of mobility. Under his leadership, Suzuki Motor Corporation became a global powerhouse, successfully navigating challenges, driving innovation and expansion. He had a profound affection for India and his collaboration with Maruti revolutionised the Indian automobile market,” the Prime Minister had posted on X social media p...

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's participation as a co-chair at the upcoming AI Summit in France, following an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron. During a weekly press briefing on Friday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "France is hosting the AI summit and French President Emmanuel Macron has invited PM Modi to co-chair the summit. We have accepted the invitation. You will be informed about any further updates regarding that tour in the coming days." Notably, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit will be held in France from February 10 to 11. On February 10, various stakeholders, including heads of state and government representatives, will participate in multiple sessions. Macron will host a formal dinner for heads of state and other VIPs that evening while on February 11, the summit will feature a dedicated leaders' session exclusively for heads of state. Earlier while addressing the 30...

US President Donald Trump said as he visited hurricane-hit North Carolina Friday that he would sign an executive order to overhaul or possibly scrap the federal agency that helps states cope with disasters. "I'll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA," Trump told reporters, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/n2Q3Zqx

US President Donald Trump on Friday said he has pulled federal security protection for former top US health official Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci, who served as the nation's top infectious disease official during the COVID-19 pandemic, was provided security under the National Institutes of Health, according tO CNN, which earlier reported the move. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/s8n90tq

India's diplomacy stands out globally for its ability to balance ties between adversaries. The latest example of this is happening this week. As foreign minister S Jaishankar touches down in New Delhi after a five-day visit to the US for Donald Trump's inauguration, foreign secretary Vikram Misri heads to China to foster ties with Beijing. Just ten days ago, during a visit to Spain, foreign minister S Jaishankar had said India is one of the very few countries in the world that can engage both Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Iran. "This is something very, very unique. And it is unique because if you look at the world today, it is a very polarised world," he said. Donald Trump has threatened to impose hefty tariffs on China and even the BRICS+ countries, which India is a member of as well. China, the world's second-largest economy, has warned that it will retaliate, should Washington actually follow through. President Trump has also targeted China over i...

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he wanted to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin soon to secure an end to the almost three-year-old war with Ukraine, lamenting what he called the huge loss of life. In the run-up to his Nov 5 election victory, Trump declared dozens of times that he would have a deal in place between Ukraine and Russia on his first day in office, if not before. His advisers now concede the war will take months to resolve. "I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon to get that war ended," Trump, who returned to the White House on Monday, told the World Economic Forum in Davos by video link. "And that's not from the standpoint of economy or anything else. It's from the standpoint of millions of lives are being wasted ... It's a carnage. And we really have to stop that war." Trump also said US efforts to secure a peace settlement were now hopefully underway, but gave no details. (This story has not bee...

US President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to global elites in a video message to the World Economic Forum on Thursday: Make your product in the United States or pay tariffs. Beamed on a giant screen in the Swiss Alpine village of Davos, Trump received a loud round of applause from political and business A-listers who had eagerly awaited his appearance all week. Speaking from the White House, Trump touted his plans to cut taxes, deregulate industries and crack down on illegal immigration. But he also had a tough message. "Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth," Trump said. "But if you don't make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply you will have to pay a tariff." In his wide-ranging speech, Trump made a link between the war in Ukraine and oil prices. Trump said he would ask Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to bring dow...

With the world having moved away to a large extent from broader concerns on COVID - it is something that is never really going away - it's also time to focus on new vaccines that can change the lives of any number of people around the world. The Serum Institute of India (SII) is a global leader in making vaccines. Its CEO Adar Poonawalla spoke to NDTV on a range of issues, key among them the vaccine for malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos. "I just want to say I really hate mosquitoes. They kill more human beings than any other animal on the planet, with all the different mosquito-borne diseases from dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, malaria. So with that in mind, after COVID, I sort of focused our capex and partnerships with various companies to make vaccines for malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Those other vaccines are about two years away from launch," Mr Poonawalla told NDTV. ...

President Donald Trump's administration has removed Admiral Linda Fagan -- the first woman to lead a US military service -- as the head of the Coast Guard. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Coast Guard, did not immediately respond to a request on Tuesday for comment on Fagan's dismissal. Fox News cited a senior official saying reasons included her failure to address border security threats, excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, and an "erosion of trust" over the Coast Guard's investigation into sexual assault cases. Trump and other Republicans have long railed against government programs aimed at fostering diversity, and border security is a key priority for the president, who declared a national emergency at the US frontier with Mexico on Monday, the first day of his new term. "She served a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation," acting DHS secretary Benjamine Huffman sai...

Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday at an inauguration ceremony that has been scaled back due to a forecast of severe cold weather in the nation's capital. WHAT EVENTS ARE EXPECTED? Trump will take the oath of office and deliver his inaugural address inside the US  Capitol, instead of outdoors in front of the building, as initially planned. The traditional inaugural parade, which was set to include marching bands and other groups proceeding down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, has been moved to the Capital One Arena, a professional basketball and hockey venue in downtown Washington. Trump also held a campaign-style "Make America Great Again Victory Rally" at the arena on Sunday, putting the sometimes-maligned stadium at the center of events for two nights. WHAT IS THE CAPITAL ONE ARENA? The arena is home to the Washington Wizards NBA basketball team and the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals team. ...

The five-day meeting at Davos beginning Monday will explore how to re-launch growth, harness new technologies and strengthen social and economic resilience, according to the World Economic Forum. The global meeting will see participation by nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries, including 350 governmental leaders. NDTV spoke to Commonwealth Fusion Systems CEO Bob Mumgaard, Abhishek Awadhiya of SimpliAI, and Avanti Fellows founder Akshay Saxena - people who have a real say about where it's all going. It's been a year of real crisis around the world, whether it's conflict, concerns over sustainable development, and concerns over so many issues, not least of all the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and climate. Nuclear Fusion Energy Mr Mumgaard began by giving an overview of the future of nuclear plants in terms of fusion energy and safe operations. "It's completely different from existing nuclear power. It's the opposite. In fusion, you're c...

Russia's war in Ukraine, which is approaching its grim third anniversary, has an unexpected connection with two districts in Uttar Pradesh. Last year, nearly a dozen young men from Azamgarh and Mau districts travelled thousands of kilometres away from home in hopes of a good life for themselves and their families. While three of the 13 men who left for Russia died on the battlefield, two returned home after being injured in the war. Of the remaining eight, there is no news on their whereabouts so far. They were offered jobs as security guards, helpers and cooks in Russia, promised Rs 2 lakh per month but were forcibly sent to the battlefield instead. Kanhaiya Yadav of Azamgarh and Shyamsundar and Sunil Yadav of Mau have lost their lives in the Russia-Ukraine war. Rakesh Yadav of Azamgarh and Brijesh Yadav of Mau got injured in the war and are home now. Meanwhile, the family members of eight men - Vinod Yadav, Yogendra Yadav, Arvind Yadav, Ramchandra, Azharuddin Khan, Humeshwar P...

The first three Israeli hostages returning home under a long-awaited Gaza truce were transferred to the Red Cross on Sunday, a Hamas official and the Israeli military said. The hostages, all women, "were officially handed over to the Red Cross" in Gaza City ahead of their return to Israel, the senior Hamas official told AFP. It came hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the morning, nearly three hours later than scheduled, after more than 15 months of war. During the delay, Israel's military said it was continuing to operate, with the territory's civil defence agency reporting 19 people killed and 25 wounded in bombardments. Minutes after the truce began, the United Nations said the first trucks carrying sorely needed humanitarian aid had entered the Palestinian territory, as displaced, war-weary Palestinians set off across the devastated Gaza Strip to return to their home areas. Thousands of people carrying tents, clothes and their pe...