Here are today’s top stories.
Prime-time Trump faces credibility crisis
President Donald Trump will face one huge obstacle when he appeals to Americans in a prime-time Oval Office address Tuesday to unite behind his crusade for a border wall: Himself.
Study: China faces ‘unstoppable’ population decline by mid-century
China will face an “unstoppable” population decline over the coming decades, with fewer and fewer workers struggling to support an increasingly aging society, according to a report by a leading state-sponsored Chinese thinktank.
China hosts surprise visit by Kim Jong Un amid US tensions
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week made his fourth visit to China, arriving in the country for a three-day stay at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, according to state media.
It’s not just Apple – Samsung is hurting, too
Samsung said that its fourth-quarter operating profit is set to plunge nearly 30% from a year earlier. It blamed the sharp drop on “lackluster demand” for its memory chips and “intensifying competition” in the smartphone industry.
$1 trillion is leaving Britain because of Brexit
Top financial firms are moving chunks of their business to other European cities to protect operations after Brexit.
Cyntoia Brown is granted clemency after killing man who bought her for sex
Cyntoia Denise Brown, a woman serving a life sentence for killing a man who bought her for sex when she was 16 years old, has been granted clemency, the Tennessee governor’s office said Monday.
Kalamazoo shooting spree suspect pleads guilty to killing 6
Former Uber driver Jason Dalton pleaded guilty Monday to killing six people during a 2016 shooting spree in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The monarch butterfly population in California has plummeted 86% in one year
There were 4.5 million of them in the 1980s. Now there may be fewer than 30,000.
Tesla starts building its huge Shanghai factory to make cars for China
The manufacturing plant in Shanghai should eventually produce 500,000 vehicles a year.
Carlos Ghosn says he is wrongly accused
Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn has appeared in court for the first time since his shock arrest in Japan in November last year. He is accused of financial misconduct, including under-reporting his pay. Mr Ghosn, who was led into court in handcuffs with a rope around his waist, said in a prepared statement that he had been “wrongly accused and unfairly detained”.
Women over 50 ‘too old’ to love – author
A French writer is being criticised after saying he would be “incapable” of loving a woman aged 50 or above… despite being 50 himself. Yann Moix told Marie Claire magazine he found women of that age “too old”. “I prefer younger women’s bodies, that’s all. End of.
France unveils crackdown on protesters
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has announced plans to punish people who hold unsanctioned protests after seven weeks of anti-government unrest. His government wants to draft new legislation that will ban troublemakers from protests and clamp down on the wearing of masks at demonstrations.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sunil Chhetri and Lionel Messi head goalscoring charts
If you were asked to name the player sandwiched between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the scoring chart for most international goals by active players then how quickly would you come up with India striker Sunil Chhetri?
Gabon coup: Is Africa seeing fewer military takeover attempts?
The coup attempt in Gabon is the first there since the 1960s. On Monday morning, a small group of junior military soldiers tried to take charge to “restore democracy”. The government has said the plot has been defeated and the situation is “under control”.
Supreme Court Rejects Exxon’s Bid To Block Climate Change Lawsuit
Jan 7 (Reuters) ― The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for the attorney general of Massachusetts to obtain records from Exxon Mobil Corp to probe whether the oil company for decades concealed its knowledge of the role fossil fuels play in climate change.
UFC Fighter Polyana Viana Beats Up Alleged Robber, Shows Him Who’s Boss
A would-be robber has been left bruised and bloodied after allegedly attempting to mug Brazilian fighter Polyana Viana. Viana, who is also known by her nickname “The Iron Lady,” told ― a website that covers mixed martial arts ― she was waiting for an Uber in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday when she was approached by the man.
Kevin Hart Apologizes Again For Past Homophobic Comments
Kevin Hart made another attempt to apologize to the LGBTQ community on Monday after several previous efforts to distance himself from past homophobic comments he made. During a Monday afternoon episode of SiriusXM’s “Straight from The Hart,” the comedian said he apologized for “remarks that hurt members of the LGBTQ community” that came to light in December after he was selected to host the 2019 Academy Awards.
Obama Cuddles His Youngest Fan And It’s Really Adorable
It’s been nearly two years since Barack Obama retired from public office, but it looks like he hasn’t forgotten the skills you pick up on the campaign trail. Such as kissing babies. The president was golfing in Hawaii recently when he came across young mother Chelcie Edwards, who was holding her baby daughter Paisley.
‘Captain Marvel’ just dropped an electrifying new trailer
Captain Marvel, the first female-led MCU film, is edging ever closer to release. A new trailer for the film dropped during the college football National Championship game on Monday, revealing a little more on what we can expect from Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers.
Jimmy Fallon wanders around blindfolded to parody ‘Bird Box’
Netflix’s has been the talk of the holidays, not just as a Sandra Bullock-starring thriller, or for all the memes, but for the amount of people walking around blindfolded, attempting the dangerous Bird Box Challenge. If anyone loves an internet challenge, it’s Jimmy Fallon, who made his return to late night in 2019 with a parody of the Netflix hit.
Harley-Davidson just made its first electric motorcycle available for pre-order
It’s a hog on a diet. Harley-Davidson announced Monday at CES that its all-electric motorcycle, the LiveWire, is now officially available for pre-order. It starts at $29,799 and will begin shipping in August. The iconic motorcycle company first introduced the LiveWire in 2014, but it had been more of a flashy concept than a reality until last year.
Captain America hates you, CES
Dear CES, Captain America is not here for your bullshit. As the tech journalists of the world converge en masse this week on the annual Las Vegas consumer electronics show known as CES, Chris Evans – the actor who famously stars as Captain America in the Marvel cinematic universe – tweeted a message seemingly tailored to dunk on the convention’s entire raison d’etre.
