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South Korea recorded the first increase in its fertility rate in nine years, in a rare piece of positive news for policymakers who have ramped up child care support in one of the world’s fastest-aging societies. The number of babies expected per woman in a lifetime rose to 0.75 last year from 0.72 in 2023, according to data released Wednesday by South Korea’s national statistics office. While the fertility rate remained the world’s lowest, it marked the first year-on-year pickup since 2015, when it registered 1.24. South Korea’s government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars over the years in a campaign aimed at encouraging more people to get married and procreate. Its steps have included greater financial compensation for parents and a reduction in mortgage interest rates for families that have newborns. Source link

The government adopted a bill Tuesday to oblige companies that emit at least 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year to participate in the country’s carbon emissions trading system. According to the bill to revise the law on promoting green transformation, which the government abbreviates as GX, the obligation is expected to apply to 300 to 400 companies, particularly those in high-emitting industries including steelmaking. Under the emissions trading system, to be introduced in fiscal 2026, the government will allocate CO2 emission quotas to participating companies every fiscal year. Companies with emissions exceeding their quotas will be required to buy quotas on the trading market operated by the public-private GX Acceleration Agency. Those that fail to procure additional quotas for their excess emissions will be required to pay a surcharge of 10% on top of the maximum trading price. Meanwhile, companies with lower emissions than their quotas can sell or carry over their surplus quotas. The government also adopted a bill to oblige manufacturers to periodically report plans and records of their use of recycled materials, a move mainly aimed at companies that use large amounts of plastics to make their products. The bill to revise the law to promote effective resources utilization also includes the establishment of a system for certifying products that are easy to recycle and lead to the efficient use of resources. Source link

Santiago – A massive power outage across Chile plunged the country’s capital Santiago into darkness on Tuesday and knocked out electricity to major copper mines in the country’s north, buffeting global metal markets. Hours after the outage began and as darkness fell, Chile’s government announced a state of emergency and established a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (0100 to 0900 GMT) from the northern region of Arica to the southern region of Los Lagos. The widespread blackout was caused by a transmission line failure in the country’s north, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said, ruling out a cyber attack as a cause. Source link

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer swept to power promising to raise living standards and grow the British economy. But now his premiership has an urgent and altogether different focus: preserving European security in a volatile world order upended by U.S. President Donald Trump. Starmer’s commitment to increase defense spending to 2.5% of the gross domestic product by 2027 and rising to 3% over the next decade — funded by cutting the aid budget — is the latest fallout from the shockwave of Trump’s apparent refusal for the U.S. to be the final guarantor of security in Europe. “I believe we must now change our approach to national security so we are ready to meet the challenges of our volatile world,” Starmer said at a press conference from Downing Street on Tuesday, as he confirmed that his decision to increase military spending had been “accelerated” by U.S. comments and actions in recent weeks. “Tyrants like Putin only respond to strength.” Source link

SEOUL – South Korean parliamentary lawyers seeking President Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal over his short-lived imposition of martial law compared him to a dictator on Tuesday during their final arguments at his impeachment trial. In his own closing statement to the eight justices on the Constitutional Court reviewing his impeachment, Yoon defended his decisions as lawful and necessary to protect the country. Yoon faces being removed from office less than three years into his five-year presidency if the court upholds parliament’s impeachment, which accused him of declaring martial law on Dec. 3 with no justifiable constitutional grounds. Source link

WASHINGTON – The Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives’ select committee on China warned on Tuesday that Beijing may try to exert leverage with Elon Musk in a bid to win more favorable U.S. policies, and Washington must counter any such effort. Republican committee chair John Moolenaar and Democratic ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi said they believed the Communist Party of China wants to use U.S. business leaders including Musk, who have commercial interests in China, to advance its goals in talks with Washington. “To the question of Elon Musk, I do believe that the CCP will try and leverage any opportunity,” Moolenaar told an event hosted by the Brookings Institution thinktank in Washington. “Are people going to be looking for that and make sure that his lane is one that is not influencing China policy? I believe that is the case,” Moolenaar said, when asked if Congress has a role in preventing Beijing from negotiating with the White House through Musk. Source link

Ukraine has agreed with the U.S. on a deal to jointly develop its natural resources, people familiar with the matter said, a move that could ease recent tension with President Donald Trump and advance his administration’s goal of a ceasefire with Russia. Ukraine’s Cabinet is expected to recommend on Wednesday that the deal be signed, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is planning to travel to the U.S. Friday to seal the agreement, the people said. “I hear that he’s coming on Friday,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday. “Certainly it’s OK with me, if you’d like to, and he would like to sign it together with me. And I understand that’s a big deal.” Source link

Seoul – Ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial wraps up on Tuesday, capping weeks of high political drama following his shock decision to declare martial law. Here’s a look at what happens next. What’s next? Source link

Washington – They hugged, they gripped hands, they touched knees and they backslapped. But they did not agree on everything. French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump rekindled the most touchy-feely bromance in world politics as they met on Monday for talks on Ukraine. The pair have a long history of public displays of affection dating back to Trump’s first term in power — and as Macron returned for Trump 2.0, it seemed like another lovefest. Source link

Taipei – Taiwan detained a Chinese-crewed cargo ship on Tuesday after a subsea telecoms cable was severed off the island, the coast guard said. It is the latest in a series of Taiwanese undersea cable breakages, with previous incidents blamed on natural causes or Chinese ships. Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom reported the cable between Penghu, a strategic island group in the sensitive Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan was disconnected early Tuesday, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. Source link