Author: OMN AI

West Ham United are prepared to sell Lucas Paquetá this month only if the deal includes an agreement for him to be loaned back for the remainder of the season, a condition that is meeting resistance from Flamengo. The Brazilian club saw an initial €35m bid rejected and are willing to increase their offer to around €40m, but are reluctant to send Paquetá back to London, believing they could wait until the summer and secure him for less. Paquetá has made it clear he wants to return to Brazil after a difficult period in England, having grown disillusioned following spot-fixing…

2026 starts with sharp political shocksThe year 2026 opened under intense political tension. President Donald Trump threatened strong action against Iran. The warning followed US forces capturing Venezuela’s leader. His administration launched a criminal investigation into the Federal Reserve chair. Officials also targeted major profit drivers at banks and institutional investors. These moves created widespread market uncertainty. Stocks remain surprisingly resilientInvestors expected a steep equity selloff. That decline never materialized. Traders largely ignored the political chaos. US stock indexes reached record highs early in the week. Prices later fell only slightly. Markets held steady despite mounting geopolitical and economic risks.…

BP has said it expects to write down up to $5bn on its struggling green energy operations as it refocuses on fossil fuels under new chair Albert Manifold. The writedowns will mainly affect BP’s gas and low-carbon transition businesses but are not expected to impact underlying profits when full-year results are published in February. The move follows BP’s efforts to sell a stake in its solar arm Lightsource and the cancellation of hydrogen projects in the UK, Oman and Australia. Shares fell after BP also warned of weaker oil trading in the final quarter, echoing similar caution from rival Shell.…

The US government has approved Nvidia’s sale of high-performance artificial intelligence chips to China. The Department of Commerce announced the decision on Tuesday. Officials said they reviewed domestic supply levels before acting. The move relaxes previous export restrictions on sensitive technology. Washington had blocked the sales over national security concerns. Officials warned the chips could strengthen China’s technology sector and military. The new policy lifts some restrictions under strict conditions. Authorities described the change as cautious and controlled. H200 processors eligible for export The approval applies to Nvidia’s H200 processors. The chip ranks as the company’s second-most-advanced AI product. Regulators…

The growing use of economic weapons such as tariffs and sanctions now poses the greatest danger to global stability, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026, released ahead of its annual meeting in Davos. Based on responses from more than 1,300 experts and leaders across business, government, academia and civil society, the report paints a bleak picture of the near future, with most respondents expecting rising instability rather than calm. Economic Rivalries Take Centre Stage So-called “geoeconomic confrontation” ranked as the number one global risk for 2026, ahead of misinformation, political division, extreme weather and even armed…

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has become the fourth business in history to reach a market value of $4 trillion, joining Nvidia, Microsoft and Apple at the very top of the corporate world. The milestone is the latest sign of how powerful the artificial intelligence boom has become for technology stocks, even as some analysts warn that prices may be running ahead of reality. AI hype lifts Alphabet to new heights Alphabet’s share price has surged about 75% over the past year and is already up nearly 7% since January, driven largely by investor excitement around AI. One of the biggest…

Diageo is reportedly considering selling its Chinese assets as part of a strategic overhaul under its new chief executive, Dave Lewis. The owner of major brands including Guinness and Johnnie Walker is said to be working with Goldman Sachs and UBS to review its China operations, where sales have been weakening. According to Bloomberg News, the review could lead to the disposal of Diageo’s 63% stake in Shanghai-listed Sichuan Swellfun, a producer and distributor of baijiu. Shares in Sichuan Swellfun have fallen sharply over the past year, reducing its market value to about 19.2bn yuan. Lewis, who took over at…

Pressure mounts on the president President Trump faces a pivotal decision on Iran. Ten days ago, he warned the United States would intervene to protect Iranian protesters if authorities used violence. He said American forces were locked, loaded, and ready to act. At the time, the crackdown had not fully escalated. Now, reports reveal the full scale of repression. The world waits to see Trump’s response. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said only the president knows his plans. She added that the world can keep guessing. That uncertainty now dominates Washington. Observers ask how long patience can hold. Military…

The “Winter Snow Sunshine” Ice and Snow Festival officially opened in Shenyang’s Heping District, inviting primary and middle school students to participate in winter sports. The event aims to promote physical activity, community engagement, and interest in ice and snow sports among young people. The festival offers students opportunities to try a variety of winter activities, including skating, sledding, and snow games. Organizers emphasized that the event is designed to be safe, fun, and educational, encouraging children to develop skills while enjoying the outdoors during the winter season. Teachers and parents welcomed the festival, noting that it provides a positive…

Same-sex sexual behaviour in non-human primates may help reinforce social bonds and maintain group cohesion during periods of environmental or social stress, according to new research. Writing in Nature Ecology & Evolution, scientists led by Prof Vincent Savolainen of Imperial College London analysed documented cases across primate species and found the behaviour to be widespread, recorded in 59 species including chimpanzees, Barbary macaques and mountain gorillas. The findings suggest either a deep evolutionary origin or repeated independent evolution of the behaviour. The study found same-sex sexual behaviour was more common in species living in harsh, dry environments with scarce resources…