Ayoola Atitebi

South Korea's birthrate, the world's lowest, increased in 2024 for the first time in nine years as policies encouraging companies and citizens to embrace parenthood began showing results. The country had experienced a plummeting birthrate over the past decade as women chose career advancement over marriage and having children, driven by rising housing costs and child-rearing expenses. This trend put the nation of 51 million on a path toward halving its population by century's end. In 2024, South Korea's fertility rate rose to 0.75 children per woman from 0.72 in 2023, breaking an eight-year decline from 1.24 in 2015. According to Statistics Korea, the crude birthrate—babies born per 1,000 people—reached 4.7, interrupting a downward trend that began in 2014. The increase reflected more marriages following pandemic delays and government policies supporting work-family balance, childcare, and housing. "Social values shifted toward […]

An Australian couple has described their "traumatic" experience when a deceased passenger was placed beside them during a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Doha. Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin told Australia's Channel 9 that a woman died in the aisle next to them. The crew then positioned her body, covered with blankets, next to Mr. Ring for the remaining four hours of the journey without offering to relocate him, despite available seats elsewhere. Qatar Airways apologized for "any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused" and stated they were working to contact passengers. The couple claims they've received no communication or support from either Qatar Airways or Qantas, through which they booked their tickets. Mr. Ring explained that staff responded quickly when the woman collapsed but "unfortunately the lady couldn't be saved." Crew attempted to move her toward […]

The parents of an eight-year-old diabetic girl in Australia have each received 14-year prison sentences for manslaughter after denying her insulin for nearly a week, resulting in her death. Elizabeth Struhs was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2019, requiring daily insulin injections. Her parents belonged to a religious group called The Saints, which rejected medical treatment in favor of faith healing. She died from diabetic ketoacidosis at her Toowoomba home near Brisbane in January 2022. Her father Jason Struhs and mother Elizabeth Struhs were among 14 people convicted of manslaughter last month. The Saints' leader Brendan Stevens received a 13-year sentence, with the Queensland Supreme Court judge describing him as a "dangerous, highly manipulative individual." Eleven other members received sentences ranging from six to nine years. Stevens and the girl's father had faced murder charges but were convicted of […]

BP has announced a strategic shift away from renewable energy investments to focus on expanding oil and gas production. The energy giant revealed its new direction Wednesday following pressure from investors disappointed by its underperforming profits and share price compared to competitors. BP plans to increase oil and gas investments by approximately 20% to $10bn yearly, while cutting previously planned renewables funding by over $5bn. This shift mirrors similar moves by Shell and Equinor, who have also scaled back green energy plans, coinciding with President Trump's pro-drilling stance. CEO Murray Auchincloss stated BP had "fundamentally reset" its strategy to prioritize shareholder returns. The company will be "very selective" about future investments in energy transition businesses, reducing funding to between $1.5bn and $2bn annually. Despite climbing earlier, BP's share price fell 2% following the announcement. Five years ago, BP established ambitious […]

President Donald Trump has announced a proposal to redistribute savings from Elon Musk's government efficiency initiative, suggesting 20 percent go to American citizens and another 20 percent toward reducing the federal debt. At the Future Investment Initiative Summit in Miami Beach, Trump highlighted the significant savings that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) identified, stating, "The numbers are incredible, Elon. So many billions of dollars... hundreds of billions." The proposal follows DOGE adviser James Fishback's suggestion of a "DOGE dividend." Fishback, CEO of Azoria, outlined in a memo on X that each tax-paying household could receive $5,000 if the task force achieves its projected $2 trillion in savings by July 2026. In response to Fishback's proposal on X, Musk indicated he would "check with the President." However, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has revised his initial $2 trillion savings estimate, […]