World

QUINDALUP, Australia — A 13-year-old boy swam for four hours through rising swells off Western Australia to raise the alarm for his family, a feat rescuers called “superhuman” after his mother and two younger siblings were found alive offshore. The ordeal unfolded Friday afternoon near the tourist town of Quindalup, where a family outing in kayaks and on paddleboards turned into a fight for survival. The boy, identified by local media as Austin Appelbee, set out with his mother and two siblings when the wind and waves built…

Tallinn’s Slava Ukrainia restaurant was meant as a refuge for people displaced by the war next door. One winter morning, it became a crime scene. CCTV captured two men outside: one filming, the other setting the blaze that would gut the Ukrainian-themed eatery. Within weeks, a cross-border investigation had tracked the suspects — Moldovan nationals — to Italy. By summer, an Estonian court had convicted one of arson in the interests of a foreign intelligence service. Prosecutors said he worked for Russia’s military…

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken over his artificial intelligence company xAI in a merger aimed at deploying space-based data centers, fusing the rocket maker’s launch capabilities with xAI’s AI systems to meet surging demand for computing power. In an announcement, Musk called the combined effort “the most ambitious, vertically integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth,” positioning the deal as a response to strains emerging in Big Tech’s breakneck AI buildout. The plan centers on a new constellation of satellites…

Trump announces U.S.-India trade deal slashing tariffs to 18%, tied to cuts in Russian oil purchases President Donald Trump said he has agreed to a trade deal with India that will cut U.S. tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%, in exchange for New Delhi lowering trade barriers, curbing purchases of Russian oil and increasing energy buys from the United States — and potentially Venezuela. In a social media post after a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump said the United States would reduce its “reciprocal”…

Russian missile and drone strikes hammered Kyiv, Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities early Tuesday, injuring at least four people and igniting new fires at energy facilities as a deep freeze gripped the country, officials said. The barrage came on the eve of planned trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates involving envoys from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington on efforts to halt the war. Air raid alerts sounded after midnight in the capital, where night temperatures fell below minus 20 C. Witnesses reported loud explosions as…

Bill and Hillary Clinton will testify before a Republican-led House investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a staffer said, a move that could head off planned contempt votes against the former president and former secretary of state. The House Oversight Committee last week recommended holding the Clintons in contempt for initially refusing to appear in person about their interactions with Epstein, who died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The House Rules Committee had…

Trump says U.S. in talks with Havana after threatening tariffs on oil shipments to Cuba WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Washington is negotiating with Cuba’s leadership to reach a deal, days after threatening to choke off the island’s fuel supply by imposing tariffs on countries that sell oil to Havana. The push-and-pull approach comes as the second Trump administration escalates pressure on the communist-run island following the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro last month. Venezuela, a longtime ally,…

Greenland’s prime minister warned that the United States still seeks control over the Arctic island despite former U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to forgo the use of force, sharpening tensions that have pulled in Denmark, NATO allies and Greenland’s Indigenous communities. Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the U.S. continues to pursue “paths to ownership and control over Greenland,” even as Trump has backed away from threats of military action. Trump intensified calls for U.S. control at the start of the year, citing national…

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — An 11-year-old boy who was left stranded in the snow after a local bus fare was hiked ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will take part in Friday’s opening ceremony in a symbolic role, a spokesperson said. The boy, identified as Riccardo, boarded a bus home from school last week in the Cortina d’Ampezzo area with a 2.50-euro ticket, the usual fare. But the operating company had raised the cost to 10 euros ahead of the Games, which run from Feb. 6-22, and he was told to get off when he could…

Syrian government security personnel entered the northeastern city of Hasakeh under an integration deal with Kurdish forces, extending Damascus’ authority into a longtime Kurdish stronghold after months of tension and sporadic clashes, according to an AFP team on the ground. The phased agreement, struck Friday after Kurdish forces ceded territory to advancing government units in recent weeks, calls for gradually folding Kurdish military and civilian institutions into state structures. The move marks a significant rollback of…