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Mon, Feb 09, 2026 07:10 PM All times are UTC

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Labubu plushies aren’t just toys. They’re a brand new frontier for Chinese soft power

| Insights & Views

One of the most sought-after items of 2025 isnt a designer handbag or the latest tech gadget. Its a plush elf with a snaggle-toothed grin. Labubu (拉布布) is a global sensation. From David Beckham and Rihanna to Dua Lipa...

Your say: week beginning June 23

| Insights & Views

Every day, we publish a selection of your emails in our newsletter. Wed love to hear from you, you can email us at [email protected] Monday June 23 Dear Treasurer… Most multinationals pay little or no...

Trump’s decision to bomb Iran exposes fissures in US politics

| Insights & Views

US President Donald Trumps strike on Irans nuclear weapons program, which he foreshadowed on and off for the past few days, has revealed a surprisingly broad middle ground in US politics, even as it has provoked...

My kids only want to eat processed foods. How can I get them eating a healthier and more varied diet?

| Insights & Views

If it feels like your childs diet consists entirely of breakfast cereal, chicken nuggets and snacks thatd outlast the apocalypse, youre not alone. Processed foods are the go-to for many kids, and for some, theyre the only...

Monsters reflect our darkest fears, from zombies to werewolves. But they also bring us together

| Insights & Views

Lisa from Pexels/Pexels We need each other, people and monsters. Monsters rely on us to exist; theyre only alive because we create them. And people rely on monsters for a variety of reasons: a being to explain a particular...

Myth meets modernity in Aphrodite, a striking opera that dissects the links between beauty, power and desire

| Insights & Views

Daniel Boud A new opera by American composer Nico Muhly is reimagining the myth of Aphrodite through a contemporary lens, exploring beauty, desire and identity in a strikingly relevant way. Aphrodite had its world premiere...

NZ’s plan to ‘welcome anyone, from anywhere, anytime’ is not a sustainable tourism policy

| Insights & Views

Getty Images Attracting more Chinese tourists to New Zealand, including during the off-season, was a major part of Prime Minister Christopher Luxons trade agenda during his visit to China last week. As Tourism Minister...

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Economy

China Signals Subtle Treasury Pullback: Banks Urged to Ease US Debt Exposure

Dual signals for dollar and crypto: Saylor loads up BTC while China gently pulls off treasuries. Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) under Michael Saylor bought 1,142 BTC for around $90 million at an average price of...

China Signals Quiet Treasury Trim: Banks Told to Ease Up on US Debt

Citing concentration concerns and increased volatility in the US debt market, Chinese regulators quietly urged major commercial banks on February 9, 2026, to cut fresh purchases of US Treasuries and slowly lower current...

The “Takaichi Trade”: How Japan’s First Female PM Is Shaping the Yen

Having assumed office late in 2025 after Shigeru Ishiba quit, Sanae Takaichi has concentrated power with a landslide Liberal Democratic Party victory and a supermajority in the snap election set for February 2026. Having...

How the US–India tariff truce boosts major Indian industries, Surat to Pharma

With zero-duty treatment for flagship products including gems and diamonds, generic drugs, and certain aircraft parts, the new USIndia interim trade agreement reduces US tariffs on Indian products from roughly 25% (close...

Australian Pension Funds Boost Currency Hedging as Aussie Dollar Strengthens

A major Australian pension fund is ramping up its currency hedging strategy as expectations grow that the Australian dollar is undervalued and poised to strengthen further. HESTA, one of Australias largest superannuation...

Politics

China Overturns Death Sentence of Canadian Robert Schellenberg, Signaling Thaw in Canada-China Relations

Chinas top court has overturned the death sentence of Canadian national Robert Schellenberg, a major development in a long-running drug smuggling case that has strained diplomatic relations between Canada and China for...

Taiwan Says Moving 40% of Semiconductor Production to the U.S. Is Impossible

Taiwan has firmly rejected calls from the United States to relocate a large portion of its semiconductor manufacturing capacity, with senior officials stressing that the islands chip industry cannot be uprooted. Taiwan...

Trump Slams Super Bowl Halftime Show Featuring Bad Bunny

U.S. President Donald Trump sparked fresh controversy after criticizing the Super Bowl halftime show fronted by global music star Bad Bunny, calling the performance absolutely terrible in a social media post shared on...

Bangladesh Election 2026: A Turning Point After Years of Political Suppression

Bangladesh is heading into what many describe as its most competitive national election in more than a decade, marking a dramatic reversal of political fortunes after years of one-party dominance. For 15 years under former...

Ghislaine Maxwell to Invoke Fifth Amendment at House Oversight Committee Deposition

Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime associate of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, plans to refuse to answer questions during a scheduled deposition before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Monday,...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Samsung Electronics Shares Jump on HBM4 Mass Production Report

Samsung Electronics shares surged on Monday following reports that the South Korean tech giant is set to begin mass production of its next-generation HBM4 memory chips, a key component in artificial intelligence hardware....

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Says AI Investment Boom Is Just Beginning as NVDA Shares Surge

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang reaffirmed his bullish stance on artificial intelligence, calling the massive capital expenditure flowing into AI infrastructure both appropriate and necessary as the industry...

Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) delivered a mixed but closely watched earnings report, beating Wall Street expectations on revenue while unveiling a massive long-term investment plan that unsettled investors. The e-commerce and...

Global PC Makers Eye Chinese Memory Chip Suppliers Amid Ongoing Supply Crunch

Major PC manufacturers including HP, Dell, Acer, and Asus are reportedly exploring the option of sourcing memory chips from Chinese semiconductor companies for the first time, as a prolonged global supply crunch continues...

OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering

OpenAI is significantly accelerating its enterprise AI strategy by hiring hundreds of new employees for its technical consulting division, according to a report by The Information, citing a person familiar with the...