China replaces its top securities regulator, moving to reassure investors and end a market slump

BEIJING — China replaced the head of its market watchdog Wednesday in an apparent attempt to restore confidence in financial markets following a prolonged downturn. Official media said Wu Qing, a former chairman of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, would replace Yi Huiman as chairman and Communist Party chief of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Chinese … Read more

Trapped between two wars, Ukrainians in Gaza plead for an exit

Two years ago, with Russia pummeling Ukraine and nowhere else to flee, 24-year-old Yulia saw her husband’s hometown, Gaza City, as a sanctuary. The couple moved to the seaside strip with their young son and built a comfortable life despite the hardships of a long-running Israeli blockade. Yulia became a manicurist and bonded with other … Read more

Moody’s downgrades bank’s credit rating to junk; shares tumble

The New York Community Bank (NYCB) headquarters in Hicksville, New York, US, on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images New York Community Bank’s shares whipsawed between losses and gains early Wednesday after Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the bank’s credit ratings two notches to junk. NYCB shares fell 2.8%, reversing earlier … Read more

1,000-pound bomb uncovered at Florida airport prompts half-mile evacuation, cops say

The discovery of a large World War II-era bomb buried at a Florida regional airport prompted an evacuation that extended half a half in every direction, according to investigators. A construction company is credited with finding the 1,000-pound explosive, as crews were digging along Helicopter Drive near Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport, the Hernando County Sheriff’s … Read more

Pakistan Election 2024: Bomb Blasts Kill Many On Eve Of Vote

A day before Pakistan’s election, two bombings near candidate and electoral offices in the province of Balochistan killed two dozen people and injured more than two dozen others, according to a local government minister. One blast occurred in the city of Pishin, killing 12 individuals and injuring 24, and another in the city of Qilla … Read more

World Food Program ramping up aid to reach 3M Ethiopians. Millions more in need

The U.N.’s World Food Program says it aims to reach up to 3 million Ethiopians affected by climate change and conflict in the coming weeks, half the number it supported in the East African country before the agency introduced a lengthy aid suspension last year. WFP said it “is now working at pace to deliver … Read more

Blinken in Israel as Hamas presents cease-fire counteroffer

TEL AVIV — Hamas has called for a three-stage cease-fire deal that would see it release Israeli hostages, alive and dead, over a more than four-month period in exchange for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, according to the leaked text of its response to a truce proposal verified by The … Read more

Alibaba (BABA) Q3 2023 earnings report for December quarter

Alibaba is operating in Suqian City, Jiangsu Province, China, on December 29, 2023. Costfoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Shares of Alibaba initially whipsawed in premarket trade on Wednesday, as the company missed market expectations for revenue in the December quarter, but announced it is increasing the size of its share buyback program by $25 … Read more

The FBI has arrested a self-touted militia sniper who says he was planning to attack people at the southern border

Immigrants trying to cross the Texan border despite heightened security measures in Eagle Pass.Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images The FBI has accused Paul Faye Sr. of trying to sell an unregistered AK-47 suppressor. The FBI says Faye admitted to wanting to launch an attack on the southern border. Faye’s “war room” had multiple firearms, such … Read more

Anger Over Messi’s ‘Mess’ in Hong Kong Spreads to China

Controversy over Lionel Messi’s failure to play in a soccer match in Hong Kong is showing no sign of ending, with many in China taking to social media to vent their frustration over his no-show. Comments by Hong Kong sports lawmaker Kenneth Fok accusing Messi and his U.S. club Inter Miami of disrespecting local fans … Read more