Author: Press Room

TOKYO: Japan’s fertility rate fell again last year to a new record low, official data showed Wednesday (Jun 3), underscoring the demographic crisis gnawing at the world’s fourth-largest economy.Japan has one of the world’s lowest birth rates, as well as a falling and ageing population, leading to labour shortages, a ballooning social security bill and a shrinking tax base.Government figures showed the total fertility rate – the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime – dropped by 0.01 from a year earlier to 1.14, the tenth straight year of decline.The number of babies born…

A revealing global journey into declining birth rates, ageing societies, and their far-reaching impact.The last 100 years have seen a boom in trade, prosperity and wealth across the world, at unprecedented rates in human history. As a species, we are now more wealthy, healthy, and less likely to be killed in conflict than ever before, despite the many horrors we see in the daily news cycle.This golden age we live in has run in tandem with an ever-expanding population; in the 1920s, there were only two billion people on the planet. A century later, that number has skyrocketed up to…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Reality television personality Spencer Pratt appears on track to clear a key hurdle in Los Angeles’ mayoral race as he seeks to unseat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in November.Bass, who has led the city since 2022 amid a turbulent stretch rocked by her response to wildfires, advanced to a runoff after failing to secure a majority of the vote in Tuesday’s primary election. With no candidate surpassing the 50% threshold, the top two finishers will face off in a November runoff.The anticipated runoff is a symbolic blow to Bass, who was endorsed…

Chainlink’s LINK token continues to trade under bearish pressure even as the project strengthens its position in institutional blockchain infrastructure through a new distribution channel on Amazon Web Services (AWS).Despite the institutional progress, LINK’s price action remains bearish across multiple timeframes, with technical indicators showing sustained downside momentum.The token is trading around $8.50, representing a 3.3% decline over the past 24 hours.Over a broader timeframe, the weakness is more pronounced, with a 7-day drop of 8.7% and a 1-year decline of nearly 40%.Chainlink expands institutional reach through AWS integrationChainlink recently brought its Data Standard live on the AWS Marketplace, marking…

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Content warning: This article includes descriptions of sexual assault that some readers may find distressing.Federal investigators have obtained a DNA sample from a mystery juvenile male who allegedly had sex with 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship shortly before her death.This development introduces a potential twist as federal prosecutors move forward with their case against Kepner’s stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, who faces charges for her alleged sexual assault and murder.The revelation is detailed in a recently unsealed 145-page detention hearing transcript. Hudson, previously identified in juvenile court documents by his initials,…

The head of pancreatic cancer at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre says she hopes clinical trials for a pill that could double survival time will soon be open to Canadian patients. Medical oncologist Dr. Jennifer Knox independently reviewed a U.S.-led study of the experimental drug daraxonrasib and calls the results “amazing.”The randomized Phase 3 clinical trial of 500 pancreatic cancer patients found those who took the daily pill survived for more than a year compared to just over six months for patients who had chemotherapy alone.Manufacturer Revolution Medicines has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to license the drug.Health…

With formal talks of succession plans downplayed, US President Donald Trump said Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be unbeatable.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, Sept. 25, 2024.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMeta’s effort to push beyond ads and to make money from artificial intelligence is now targeting the red-hot market of AI agents. The company said Wednesday that a new Meta Business Agent feature can be used across apps like WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram to respond to customer inquiries, recommend products and book appointments. It will be included in a business-focused subscription tier for Meta One, which the company introduced last week as a way to package premium services for creators…

BANGKOK: Thailand is “fully prepared” to engage in UN-backed mediation initiated by Cambodia over disputed maritime claims, the foreign minister said on Wednesday (Jun 3), while pledging to safeguard national interests.Neighbouring Cambodia said on Tuesday it had started the dispute resolution process under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) over disputed areas in the Gulf of Thailand, where undersea energy reserves are valued at around US$300 billion.The move followed Bangkok’s cancellation last month of a 2001 agreement that established a framework for joint oil and gas exploration in areas of overlapping claims, with Thailand’s prime…

Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s special envoy for Lebanon, is to arrive in Beirut on Wednesday as Paris seeks to restore its flagging diplomatic role in the country, experts say.When the former French foreign minister meets President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, talks are expected to focus on continued aid for communities badly affected by Lebanon’s economic collapse, Israel’s invasion and occupation of one-fifth of the country, and the future of the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, which France is deeply involved in and whose mandate is due to end this year.Recommended Stories…